Naruto: Kurashio
by Magical Mistress Sarai
Summary: -A saga continuation- Several years after the end of Shippuden, a swirl of dark events threatens to throw the land into war. Will Naruto prevail or will it be up to the new generation? Will his children survive the Chunin Exam Prelims? -Mild Yaoi- -Lang-
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_There are those bound by fate._

No matter how hard they struggle, attempting to change destiny,  
they only force the cords of providence to tighten around them.  
The more they fight, ever more likely it is that their fate will come to pass.

_There are those who deny fate._

The ignorant whims and their own desires guide them blindly in to the clutches of destiny,  
often thrusting upon their shoulders great choices and  
great consequence for their irresponsible natures.

_There are those who would command fate._

The power hungry, the heroic, those who are doomed to failure  
because providence is not a kind mistress,  
nor does she take lightly those who would steal her rites,  
rituals she has created since time immemorial.  
These people are the haughty fools upon which the precipice of war and peace are decided.

_…and there are a certain few, whom fate hand picks, that will change the world forever.  
_

* * *

_**-A/N-**_

_**This is the epilogue. It's how I decided to get things rolling. It's not much, so I'll give you a more detailed synopsis of the story:**_

_**This story is a Saga Continuation. This story takes place about 20 years after the end of the Naruto Shippuden saga (I project Naruto to be 17 or 18 by then. In this story Naruto is 36 years old.) My story contains yaoi elements, because I'm a wicked fan in that respect; however, in the essence of realism and fairness… the entire cast is not gay. In fact, most of them are straight… just my chosen few get to be gay (I don't hand out the glitter willy-nilly… it's an honor).**_

_**There is violence in this story. I pride myself on two things: believable conflict and good action. Expect death, blood, evil intentions… don't expect me to write anything disgusting, fetish related, or grotesque. I don't do OOC (as much as I can), I enjoy creating OCs, and I enjoy putting my characters in the place of making difficult decisions. I want them to be believable so that you are drawn into the story and want to see the outcome.**_

_**In this story Naruto is the father of 3 children: one with Neji, one with Gaara, and one with Sasuke. There is NO Mpreg. There is no harem. There is no PWP. There is a basic science to the pregnancy which involves surrogacy (explained in story later). The children differ in age by one and a half years and three years respectively, placing them at ages 14, 12, and 11. Neji is dead, Gaara broke off his engagement with Naruto because of the conflict when Sasuke entered their lives again, and Sasuke finally comes to his senses in his late twenties. He and Naruto are now together in a relationship and have been for several years. If you want to know more... visit my profile or read the story. ) **_

_**Always I appreciate any and all reviews and will give personal feedback if you so desire. I will answer any and all reasonable questions. Much love to you all, and until next time!**_

_**~Sarai**_


	2. Mornings are Never Pleasant

Greetings, and welcome to the first chapter, as always you may **skip **below the horizontal line **if **you want to ignore my rambling.

This chapter is a little longer than what I plan to do for each subsequent chapter, but I had a goal for this opening, several in fact: introduce the important people (mainly each of the three teams), introduce the main conflicts, give some minor background on what has happened since Naruto was fifteen-ish (because I realize that he is about that age in shippuden and my story takes place about twenty years after that. There is a lot of history to fill in, and I've got to start doing that somewhere... and I hate "flashback" chapters... so I've got to do it with thoughts and other whatnot. (the magical mysticism that is me) I have a personal policy that if you write a review, I always acknowledge it. If you ask a question (that is a legitimate question) I always answer it, and if you want to discuss the story I'm always up for that as well. I ask for reviews, because I am a feedback author. I get a better feel for the story when I learn how people react to it; this lets me know if I am conveying my point. I also ask that if you like the story... please recommend it to people. If you want me to read something of yours, the best way is to write a review and then ask me to check out your story. It's how I roll (unless you want me to beta something, then a message on here is much better). Getting back to the point of these notes:

I pretty much summed up who from Naruto/Shippuden ended up getting together with who in this chapter (of course there are a few other pairings that will still need to be released/explained. I have not forgotten anyone and they will get their chance... if that was important with you) and I think you can start to see who may have what powers... though I assure you that some will surprise you, while I'm certain others will not. I've learned that readers are cleaver creatures who come up with ideas that would shock you (even when you think you are being such a clever writer). I also want to address one question in particular, which I feel certain will be speculated and even possibly asked, and that is this: No, Naruto is not suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He does have something going on with him (I was pretty blunt with that piece of the plot meshing hammer), but it is not Alzheimer's. That is a dreadful disease which personally makes me want to just tear up, it's a dreadful thing which I could not wish upon anyone, and I would not willingly place on any character (especially one dear to my heart), so no... that will not be addressed. I think that might make me a weak writer in some respects, but I think everyone needs lines and that is one of mine.

Another thing I would like to point out is change in POV. I normally show this by a series of "*" between each different character. For some reason, when I attempt to do this, Fanfiction doesn't like it. Thus I have changed my scene switching, POV changing, useful little hint to this: [...] Every time you see it, it means that someone else is being the eyes, ears, and brain for the story.

Also, I know the issue with original characters... I promise you that my OCs are completely and 100% their own individuals. They have traits from their parents (which allows me to mesh out powers and skills easily and not have to go about creating entirely new systems... I'm lazy in that respect), but I definitely do my best to make them their own creature. Case in point: Kiba's offspring... without spoiling the surprise for you, she has animal mimicry and her own pet... but it's not a dog. Her personality is nothing dog like. ;) She's one of my favorites.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the first chapter. I'm going to be done rambling now... (I did make it before my promised deadline) and I hope that you will be back for more. As for my updating schedule? I'm going to aim for a **minimum** of one chapter a month. This will allow me to focus on work, my own writing, my poetry, and get some other things done... I will also be working on some artwork for the characters and will do my best to find a way to make it where you can view them and get an idea of what is in my head. Once again, **thank you** for reading (and thanks to snowpetalprincess for my first review! ^.^),

_**~Sarai**_

* * *

**Naruto: Kurashio****_  
Chapter 1 – Dark Tide_**

A set of blond eyelashes fluttered, accompanied by a frustrated groan, as the first rays of the morning light began to filter through the wooden shutters that covered the bedroom window. With a disgruntled murmur, Naruto rolled over to escape the offensive intruder, which seemed intent upon hitting him directly in the eyes; however, no amount of burying his face in the pillow could erase the damage that was done: he was awake. Any further groaning about the situation was silenced by a voice outside of his current field of vision, which Naruto happily knew was no further than his pillowcase.

"Good morning, sunshine," the voice was perky, and even though he couldn't see the face, Naruto knew there was a smirk attached to it.

Turning his head slowly to the side, Naruto cracked a single eye and was greeted by the smiling visage of Neji. The brunette's long, silk-like hair was loose, falling across his chest and shoulders seductively, and his pale lavender eyes were shining with mirth as he watched the sleepy blond before him.

"Meh…" Naruto stuffed his face back in the pillow.

"That's not how you say good morning," the brunette purred.

Naruto turned his head again, glaring at Neji with the one open eye, and mumbled his greeting into the pillow. Even he couldn't understand it.

"What was that?" Neji teased.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto finally flopped onto his side. He had to think far too much to even contemplate returning to sleep at this point, so he let out a yawn and grinned at the brunette beside him, "Morning, bright-eyes…" Naruto reached out to pull Neji closer to him, closing his eyes so that he could fully enjoy the fragrance of the long hair which he knew had been freshly washed…

"Dobe?"

The word caused Naruto's eyes to snap open, shocked at the empty space on the bed before him. Neji was gone. He rolled over quickly to see where the word had come from and was shocked to see Gaara lying there, propped upon one arm with a concerned look about his features.

"Gaara?" Naruto cocked his head to the side quizzically, "Why did you call me that?"

"Hn…" Gaara's features hardened into a frown, and he reached out his free arm to brush locks of unruly blond hair out of Naruto's eyes, "Are you lost again…?"

At the touch, Gaara's image melted away and in his place was Sasuke. The raven haired man was concerned with Naruto's behavior, to the point permanent lines were threatening to form on his brow, which was normally unblemished. Naruto leaned forward, placing Sasuke's caring hand against his chest, and he kissed the tense brow. "Ne, Sasuke…" Naruto thrummed, "You know the mornings are a little difficult."

Sasuke nodded, his concern fading slightly upon seeing that Naruto was fully awake, "You worry me sometimes, dobe…"

"Payback, teme," Naruto chuckled, "You get to do that for years, and even then we'll never be even."

Sasuke's eyebrow rose in response to the smirking blond, "Will I regret asking why?"

"Because I still worry about you…"

As Naruto slid closer, Sasuke wrapped his arms around the man and sighed, resting his chin within the golden tresses. "You worry too much. I'll be fine."

With his ear against Sasuke's chest, Naruto could feel the vibrations of each word as they were spoken… there was a hint of sadness there, which Naruto couldn't help but feel partly responsible for, yet, at the same time, there was nothing he could do to remove it. Some things, such as the past, were unchangeable… written in stone.

The two of them lay there for a while in silence, both content to enjoy the morning sun at it slowly rose to fill the room with warm fractured light. Naruto didn't want to get up, but he could feel responsibility nagging at him. He finally breached the subject, deciding to let responsibility be Sasuke's decision, "How long until we need to get the kids up?"

A deep chuckle rumbled through Sasuke's chest as he smiled down at the blond, "They left almost an hour ago." Naruto gave him a confused look. "They have missions today," Sasuke explained.

Naruto's eyes bugged as realization dawned on him. Today was… _that_ day! He leapt out of bed, landing on the floor next to the bureau and yanking drawers open to get clothing gather, "Oh god! I'm going to be late… I'm going to let them down!" Then suddenly an even greater horror hit him, "I'm… going to be like Kakashi!" Howling in despair, Naruto ran into the bathroom, not even aware that Sasuke was watching his nude antics with an appreciative smirk.

[...]

"I don't want it…" Kakashi said offhandedly, tossing the scroll back onto the Hokage's desk as if it was a simple gossip magazine, and, by scanning the cover, he had already learned everything he needed to know about it.

The vein in Tsunade's forehead twitched slightly at this action. "Sit down Hatake!" she barked, stopping the elder jonin before he could walk out of her office.

With reluctance, Kakashi did as he was told and threw himself lazily down into one of the many chairs in the room, as far away from the irate, blond woman as he could get. He turned his one visible eye towards her, and nodded to notify that he was listening.

"You were already given a great deal of freedom when you negotiated your terms of … leaving retirement," Tsunade frowned, obviously choosing her words carefully, "I gave you what you wanted, and I have been _very _patient with the methods you have employed; however, your genin squad is not exempt from standard duties. I won't play favorites, not even for you."

"I'll accept an assignment," Kakashi yawned, "But not this one. It's… beneath them."

"Your squad has an eleven year-old on it!" Tsunade yelled, "You're lucky I don't send you to go fetch Mrs. Goya's cat!"

"The cat would be more of a challenge," Kakashi mused, "I could even add some extra rules…"

"Enough!" The Hokage looked as if she were about to breathe fire in Kakashi's direction, "I need three of my best genin squads on this mission. That includes yours! This isn't up for negotiation. You'll have them by the main gates to rendezvous with Teams three and five…" Tsunade brought a hand up to massage the twitch in her eyebrow, "Now, get out of my office!"

With a shrug, Kakashi pushed himself out of the chair and headed for the door. He didn't pause for a second in his stride, effortlessly catching the scroll which she had launched at the back of his head. "I'll see you when I get back…" Kakashi winked to the assistant outside, "You'll have to tell me how long she took to cool down, and how many bottles it took." The woman only looked at him in petrified fear before rushing in to placate the raging Tsunade.

Once outside, Kakashi dropped down onto a bench and opened the scroll again. The mission was straightforward enough: three teams to carry out a standard reconnaissance operation. Each team was to locate a specific target and determine whether or not they had any connection to the current weapons smuggling ring which had risen up in Fire Country in the past few months. While the death toll from the weapons was starting to rise, what with the weapons making their way into gangs and mob cells, it was still something that should be handled by the local governments.

Kakashi saw no need for three of Konoha's best genin teams to bother with this assignment. "She has other motives…" he absentmindedly went through the possible other reasons for sending so many ninja on such a routine errand; he only came up with a single worthwhile reason: the Chunin Exams.

The location of the exams still had not been decided because the villages of Rain and Fire were both still adamantly campaigning for the honor of hosting the event, and, ultimately, it would come down to which nation was more capable. Tsunade probably wanted to wrap up this smuggling ring quickly. It would prove how capable their ninja were and pull in a vast amount of revenue which they could spend on hosting the exams. It was a dull reason, but it would at least give him a chance to field test his squad.

And who knew? Perhaps he would even put them up for consideration in this round of exams? It had been awhile since a team of rookies had been in the exams…

[...]

"Why did we get here so early?"

"Because we have a mission today…"

"But, Hana, why did we skip breakfast! Naruto never skips!"

"He's also never late, Chino! That's why we're here early."

"Jira, help me out!"

With a sigh, Jira turned around to his two teammates and gave them a stern look, "It's stupid to argue… we got here early; we wait. I've already eaten, so it's not a problem for me. You should have grabbed something to eat on the run."

Chino frowned, looking as if he would have thought about something like that, "I only packed rations… and you know how hungry I'll get later."

"Ah! You're just like your dad, Chino!" Naruto appeared sitting on a tree branch, smiling down at his three students. With a laugh he tossed a warm breakfast wrap to Chino and hopped down from the tree, "Choji was always hungry!"

"Good morning, Senpai!" a blur of tan and brown nearly tackled Naruto as it rushed to greet him.

Looking down at the smiling girl, Naruto hugged her back before disentangling himself, "Geez, Hana! How many times have I told you… it's just Naruto! Senpai makes me feel old!"

The girl turned her silver eyes up at him, wide and doe-like, "But you're my teacher. Mama says that I'm supposed to call you that…"

Naruto wasn't falling for the sweet act. He knew her mother too well. Hinata and Naruto had been friends for years; they had even contemplated dating at one point, but they both knew it wasn't likely to work out. However, as a side effect from their friendship, Hinata had become less of a shy, bashful and timid person and more of a prankster… but with that subtle grace only a Hyūga could possess. Hana, or Hanawai Hyūga-Inuzuka as she was formally known, was the spitting image of her mother, with the same soft features and beautiful eyes, but she had been cursed by her father with a mess of brown curls which fell bouncily across her face… the only thing good Kiba's genes had done for the girl was to give her a proper pair of black pupils. Hana still had the silver eyes of the Hyūga clan, but thankfully they didn't look creepily into your soul.

"You're mother and I shall be having words," Naruto said with false severity, "Now where are the Ying Yangs?"

As if he had summoned them, a pair of squirrels, one black and the other white, came bursting from the treetops above Naruto's head and showered him with acorns, leaves, and twigs as they came to rest on Hana's shoulders. "_Yet another curse from that damned Kiba_!" Naruto growled inwardly, brushing himself off.

"There you two are!" Hana said innocently, "You need to stop doing that to Senpai!"

"Those two are menaces," Naruto glared at the squirrels, which seemed unphased.

"They just like you," Hana smiled, batting her eyes. She then went over to Chino to check on the stocky boy, who had already eaten his breakfast and was patting his stomach contentedly.

Naruto turned his attention to the final member of his squad, before bounding over to the boy and pulling him into a swift hug, "Good morning, Jira!"

The boy was shocked at the sudden hug. Yes, he normally hugged his father every morning, but they never really acted like a family during practice. Perhaps Naruto was getting him back for leaving the house without saying goodbye? Quickly hugging the larger man, Jira pushed away and looked down at the ground embarrassed, "Morning, dad…"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and took a step back, "Sorry! Just trying to keep the morning routine intact…"

"It's ok," Jira beamed up at him, his pale blue eyes showing no sign of anger or anything harsh towards his father. The boy gave Naruto another quick hug before running over to his teammates.

Naruto just stood there watching him. Unlike Hana, whose eyes were as close to normal as a member of the Hyūga bloodline could probably get, Jira had inherited Neji's eyes. The pupils and irises were the same pale color, looking like they could see through your soul. In fact the boy had inherited all the best qualities from Neji, the face and posture… even the long hair, Neji's unwavering belief in whatever he set his mind on, and, most important of all, his strength of self. Naruto's influence had been merely superficial. Jira had inherited Naruto's hair color, and because of Naruto's genes… Jira's eyes had a faint blue coloring to them, which was akin to looking at pools of still water; they reflected everything back at you.

"Senpai!" Hana shouted at him, pulling Naruto from his contemplation.

"Right, right," Naruto nodded, "Time to get started" He pulled the mission scroll from within one of the pockets on his jonin vest and headed over to his gathered students. They had about thirty minutes before it was time to group up with the other teams, which meant he had about twenty to make certain they were prepared to move out.

With a cocky smirk Naruto knew they'd be finished in ten.

[...]

Sasuke was worried about Naruto. He could joke about it with the blond… pretend as if nothing were bothering him. The last thing Sasuke wanted to do was put more stress upon the dobe. Hell! he would do anything for Naruto if he could, but it didn't erase this feeling in his stomach—that something was wrong. Something had been going wrong for a few years. It had started slowly, appearing as if it were only daydreaming… typical Naruto, but in the past few months, Sasuke had noticed that his dobe had literally started forgetting where he was. There would be moments where Naruto's eyes would glaze over, and then he would be back in a second.

It would seem like the blond had experienced lifetimes in those brief moments, and now those moments were growing longer, like this morning. Naruto would sometimes disappear for minutes at a time, speaking to people who weren't there… Neji in particular, and, of course, Sasuke blamed himself for the whole mess. He had been the one constantly running off. He had left Naruto alone enough times to make anyone start looking in a different direction. Naruto had found someone, and that some had died. Sasuke hadn't been there to help his friend, and Naruto had replaced him again—with Gaara. When he had finally gotten his head on straight, Sasuke returned to Konoha as quickly has he could have.

The dark haired jonin stood there beneath a tree, recalling the joy he had felt, knowing that he would see Naruto again for the first time in years… to ask him for help, to finally admit that he needed the blond idiot.

Sasuke's brow furrowed in frustration as he continued reminiscing. Naruto's life had changed so drastically back then, from the last time they had seen each other. Naruto was… happy; and, like every other time, Sasuke's appearance had managed to destroy the blond's happiness. Upon his arrival, Naruto had immediately asked Sasuke why he had returned. The idiot had pestered and pushed until Sasuke admitted the reason and asked for his help. Naruto had agreed without question, and he left behind his family to go with Sasuke on a mission which could have lasted an unforeseeable amount of time.

The action had been too much for the other man in Naruto's life. Gaara left while they were away; he'd placed the children in Sakura's care. "_She **is **their mother after all_," Sasuke thought to himself, "_Even if she's a bad influence… Tsunade rubbed off on her too much_."

Naruto had gotten depressed upon learning of Gaara's departure, feeling abandoned… and of course the dobe blamed himself. Naruto was too kind to ever place the blame where it belonged—on Sasuke, and Sasuke would admit, only to himself, that he took advantage of the blond's kindness on numerous occasions.

Sasuke was a selfish bastard, rightfully named. He had ruined Naruto's life, but in doing so… Sasuke had placed himself in the perfect position to pick up the pieces, to finally be there for Naruto, as he should have been—like Naruto had always been. It had taken time, but they finally worked out all of their issue, after a great many arguments and actual fights. They were now a family. Unfortunately Sasuke couldn't escape his own guilt… and the reason that prevented his escape was staring at him right now:

Kitaka Uzumaki, Gaara's son.

At least Sasuke wished he was only Gaara's son… the problem was that the boy was completely and entirely Naruto. The resemblance was unnatural. Kitaka had the same mess of unruly hair, the same expressions… he looked exactly the same as Naruto had at that age, when Sasuke had been forced into cooperating with the blond on a team. Kitaka even wore Naruto's old, orange jacket which Naruto had given him upon graduating from the Ninja Academy. The only difference between father and son was the eyes… Kitaka had Gaara's eyes; those cold, calculating, all-seeing green eyes, along with that unruly mess of crimson hair. It may have been Naruto's hair, but Gaara had dyed it. This child was undeniable proof that Sasuke had destroyed a perfectly happy family…

And the Uchiha felt sick about it.

"Oy! Sasuke-sama!" a loud voice shouted. It caused the raven-haired man's eyebrow to twitch slightly as he turned to the voice.

The voice was attached to Sainō, a twelve year old orphan boy with short, spiky hair and a loud mouth. Sainō looked like a small wood nymph, with dark brown hair that had traces of midori colored strands all throughout it as if his hair had been made from the earth; he also had perpetually tanned skin, a shade darker than Naruto and Kitaka's… and if anyone reminded Sasuke of Naruto… it was this kid. He looked nothing like Naruto, that blessing had been given to Kitaka, but Sainō emulated Naruto's childhood persona with perfection.

"Keep your voice down, Sainō," Sasuke chided, "I'm right here."

"Of course!" The boy didn't get any quieter, "But we have a mission! Tell us. Is it exciting? Are we fighting bandits! Or maybe pirates?"

"Don't be stupid, moron!" A fist came out of nowhere and knocked the loudmouth to the ground.

Sasuke focused on the person whom the fist belonged to: Gakira Nara, who preferred to be called "Kira". She was daughter of Ino and Shikamaru, but if she took after anyone… she took after Sakura, her godmother. Kira had Shikamaru's spiked hair, with Ino's length, but, unlike her parents, the girl wore her hair loose. She looked all the more wild because of it, and if you added the fact Kira also had Ino's eyes: dark blue with that insane fire that constantly lit them ablaze. The girl looked primed for a padded room, but Sasuke would admit himself biased on the subject.

Bringing a hand to his forehead, Sasuke attempted to massage his on-coming headache away. "Kira…" he groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you…? Stop hitting your teammate."

"But he's so… stupid!" She growled.

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke fixed her with a glare. This was his punishment. Tsunade had been much too lenient with his return, and he now knew why: children heaped back troubles on their elders ten-fold. Sasuke had been assigned a team who, in all aspects, were ten times worse than Sasuke's genin team had EVER been. They were like his old team—but on a high sugar intake.

"Are you all right?"

Sasuke watched quietly as Kitaka walked over and helped Sainō to his feet, brushing the younger boy off.

Sainō grinned mischieviously, squinting his eyes, "I'm good, Kit! She couldn't hurt me!"

"Wanna bet?" Kira threatened.

"Nah! I'll pass!" Sainō leapt behind Kitaka for protection.

"Enough goofing off," Sasuke interrupted them and grabbed their attention at the same time, "Lets get down to business."

[...]

"Our teacher is an idiot," a boy muttered to no one in particular, leaning against the main gates of Konoha while his other two teammates stood around content to not say anything, waiting out the boredom.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Gemma."

"It's the truth, Ame. My mother told me that Kakashi-sensei has always been like this." Gemma related the facts with an emotionless expression. It was the truth. His mother had been annoyed when Kakashi picked her son out of the graduating genin. She was constantly saying that someone with such a lazy streak could never train Gemma to be a determined, capable shinobi. She had always said that Gai Maito would have been a better candidate, having trained her.

Of course Gemma's father disagreed, pointing out that Kakashi had trained Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura; two of which were also genin team commanders like Kakashi, and the other was Lady Tsunade's personal business partner or something… none of the genin really knew what miss Sakura and the Hokage did with their company, and their parents never explained it, but the company made money nonetheless.

"Sometimes the truth is best kept to yourself," Ame said quietly, smiling at the though. The boy then turned back to gazing upwards at the early dawn sky, a soft azure. The cool morning breeze blew gently through the boy's hair, which was the same color as the morning sky at which he was staring, throwing the long tresses about as if it were playing with them.

Ame was always like that, mysterious and aloof… pale skinned, but never once looking sickly. Ame always had a twinkle in his baby blue eyes, which made everyone around him wonder if he was thinking of something they either didn't know… or just silently making fun of them. Gemma didn't have a certain answer for either case, but he suspected that the boy must be longly, which was the reason for his aloof nature. Ame didn't have any family in Konoha, instead he lived with Itachi Uchiha, the uncle of Gemma's other teammate: Fumato Uchiha.

"But sensei is always late, and he never really does much of anything," Gemma grumbled, turning his attention to a grasshopper who had crawled into his hand.

"He teaches us by being late." This announcement caused both Gemma and Ame to turn and look at their younger team member.

Ame was the first one to respond, "That is an interesting observation, Fuma-kun... care to explain it for Gemma?"

Fuma looked at the taller, blue haired boy and then at Gemma before shaking his head silently and turning his gaze back to staring at the empty street, as if he were waiting for someone, or something, to suddenly appear at the end.

And such were the way conversations between the team members always seemed to go. Gemma would attempt to speak his mind, Ame would say something smart that would end it… and Fuma would stare quietly at something. The boy rarely spoke to either of them, unless it was to coordinate training or mission exercises. Thus Gemma was left with little to occupy his conversational desires, which was why he always talked to bugs. They at least were willing to chat with him. This particular grasshopper had told him something interesting, something he was willing to share… but Fuma beat him to it.

"Sensei is here," the younger, black haired boy pointed to a roof, where nothing existed… except the roof.

Gemma, of course, pointed this out.

[...]

Kakashi crouched on his perch, watching his newest students with great interest. They were the prime reason he had come out of retirement, a position he much enjoyed. Since he had stopped going out on missions, Kakashi had taken up Jiraya's pen and had continued the _Make Out_ series of romance novels… he had been getting quiet good at writing them, or at least he thought so. Kakashi would never be as good as the former author had been, but the money he was making from the royalties told him that people at least enjoyed reading his work.

If he had his preferences, Kakashi knew he would rather be at home writing in this very moment; however, one instance had popped up, a very strong instance, which had made him actually want to come out of retirement. Right now that instance was pointing at him: Fumato Uchiha, an 11 year-old genin, had seen through Kakashi's protective, illusionary jutsu… and the other two still couldn't find him, even with the kid pointing directly at Kakashi.

The executive pervert, for Kakashi was not one of the creepy kinds, mused to himself about the child. Back in the day, he had made a promise that if Sasuke ever had a child… he would train that kid. To think that Sasuke and Naruto would be the ones to have that child? It was an opportunity Kakashi could not afford to pass up, and every day that kid proved that leaving retirement had been a good idea, even if it kept him from his typewriter.

Kakashi smirked behind his mask and made his presence known to his students, "Morning!"

"Gah!" Gemma nearly jumped out of his skin when Kakashi appeared with his face mere inches away from the boy's own.

"You frighten a bit easily, Gemma," Kakash said with a hint of "_shame-on-you_" in his words, "Shino was never this jumpy. You should have your father give you lessons about being stoic and broody. He's _quite _good at it." Then, with a smile and a wink, Kakashi hopped to his feet and went to stand by Fuma.

The little raven haired kid barely came above Kakashi's hip, but as they stood looking down the street, Kakashi was impressed with how focused the boy could be.

"Hey," Kakashi greeted.

"Good morning." Fuma didn't even turn to look at Kakashi.

Sometimes it was hard to tell which father was more prominent within the boy. Kakashi was willing to place money on Sasuke's genes, after all… Fuma had inherited the Uchiha hair, though it was a tad more unruly than any Uchiha that Kakashi had ever met, and Fuma also had the Uchiha eyes: twin, charcoal-colored orbs viewed the world somewhat differently than the rest of people in it. For most people in Konoha, these traits were enough to view the child as Sasuke's, that, and the boy held the Uchiha clan name.

However, Kakashi also noticed several things within the boy that were innately Naruto in their origin—the foremost being that Fuma worked harder than any other genin currently in Konoha. He also was very protective of the few friends he did have, and he never allowed anyone to speak ill of his siblings, although it was obvious the that two older, Uzumaki children were not as close to Fuma as they were to one another.

And… there was that one glaring physical attribute which Naruto's parentage had claimed Fuma with.

Out of all three sons, Fuma was the only one born with the thin, whisker like marks on his cheeks. Kakashi had previously believed this to be a trait of the Kyuubi, the spirit which resided within Naruto; however, when Fumato was born… this theory had been blown out of the water because the infant had possessed these marking from birth and there was no demon spirit within him, not that anyone could tell—and many had checked. Kakashi was then forced to reexamine his own personal evaluations of Naruto, which had been the final, tipping factor in convincing him to leave retirement: if Naruto and Sasuke were both in this boy… Fuma could turn out be the greatest ninja Konoha had ever seen, and Kakashi would have been the one to train him.

"Ahem," the sound was soft, airy, and designed to get Kakashi's attention.

The silver-haired jonin turned his head until his one visible eye could acknowledge the boy, "Yes, Ame?"

"I mean no disrespect, Sensei," the pale youth began, "But seeing as how it is almost time for when you said we would be departing… would it not be prudent to give us some instruction?"

Ah… the ever present sensibility. Kakashi nodded, "You are correct. You will all stand here until Teams Three and Five turn up. Those are your instructions." Ame nodded and went back to looking at the sky, and Kakashi heard a groan from Gemma, which only served to pull a smirk onto Kakashi's hidden features.

"Sensei! This is torture," Gemma vocalized.

"_The boy has too much of Ten Ten_," Kakashi thought before speaking, "It will save me the trouble of having to explain things twice… once is already going to make me want to nap."

"You're just lazy!" Gemma shouted.

The shout was so loud that Kakashi almost didn't hear the whisper that came from Fuma, who still stood motionless beside him, staring at the ground, "My brothers are going on this mission?"

Kakashi could hear the worry in his voice. It was one of the very few instances where he saw how truly young the boy was. Out of Naruto's three sons, Fuma had only just graduated and this would be only his second mission. His brothers, Jira, the oldest, and Kitaka, had already completed several missions… and were both considered to be very adept shinobi. He was worried about being compared. It was a heavy burden for such a young ninja, especially when said boy held so much potential.

"Meh," Kakashi responded, "It's not a big deal. They'll each have to recon their own target… you'll do better of course. This mission is about watching and observing." Kakashi gave the boy a wink, "You're very good at that."

Fuma nodded, turning his gaze from the ground back to the street. He didn't say anything else, and Kakashi didn't have any urge to speak further.

[...]

"Um… Lady Tsunade," the timid aide peeked into the Hokage's office, hoping to find her in a better mood than she had been in this morning. The Hokage's meeting with Kakashi Hatake had been trying on everyone, mainly because he had left Tsunade in quite a rage.

"What?" the elder sennin barked, not looking up from a scroll.

"The Mizukage is here to see you."

At those words, Tsunade looked up and nodded. It was a few moments before another woman entered the office, decked out in official Kage robes of white, blue and aquamarine trim. The woman removed her large, disc-like hat to reveal long auburn tresses pulled up in a high pony tail. "Tsunade," the woman smiled, "You're looking well."

"I always look good, Mei," the Hokage replied, "Despite the best efforts of some people, who shall remain nameless."

"I take it you met with Kakashi again?" the Mizukage chuckled taking a seat in front of Tsunade's desk and setting her hat across her lap.

"If by met, you mean yelled at him until he did what I asked?" Tsunade nodded, "Then… yes."

Mei chuckled again, "How did he react to the news?"

"He knows that something is up, but he isn't aware that Konohagakure is going to be joint-hosting the Chunin exams along with Kirigakure."

"Have you informed the other genin teams?" Mei asked quizzically.

Tsunade shook her head, "I'm waiting for Kakashi's mission to head out. Once they are well away from Konoha… then I'll make the announcement."

"Sending away your more promising genin just before the exams? I don't understand your reasoning, Tsunade."

"It's quite simple, Mei," The Hokage interlaced her fingers and placed them on the desk before her. "When Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were under Kakashi's command, he recommended them for the Chunin exams fresh out of the academy. I'm afraid he may do the same thing again, and that his former students might be stupid enough to follow suit. I don't want a repeat of that exam year. If I can have them interspaced, with only one of their teams entering the exams in the next few years… all will be right with the world."

"I see…" Mei smiled, "You do realize that if they were to enter… they would most likely sweep this year's exams? I'm certain Kakashi has thought of this, the other genin teams as well. In fact, the knowledge of such genin has made the turn out from other nation rather slim."

"Precisely why I want them to _not_ participate," Tsunade frowned. "Konoha has gotten a reputation for powerful ninja… we hold some very powerful bloodlines, and not only that… we've mixed several of them now. It's making other nations…"

"Worried?" Mei added, "I've noticed that your ties with Suna have become strained, even with the current Kazekage."

There was another sigh from the Hokage, "Our relationship with Suna has been strained for years… I can only give undying thanks to Sabaku no Gaara for not allowing personal feelings into our political situation."

"I think I recall him stepping down from the position several years ago," Mei frowned trying to remember.

"For almost three years, yes," Tsunade sighed, "He was actually staying here in Konoha under an ambassadorial position… things happened."

"I see…" the Mizukage nodded. Her intel had given her mild insight into the sudden political changes three years ago, which had led to Sabaku no Gaara reclaiming his position as Kazekage… the man had taken to the work with almost relentless vigor, and he was still completely devoted to the role. To the point that he was rarely ever seen outside of the office of Kazekage unless it was on a political agenda—or to visit Konohagakure once every month, an honor that no other ninja village received. Where Mei Terumï one to feel slighted, she might take offense to the lack of courtesy; however, the Mizukage understood that there were _other_ circumstances to Sabaku no Gaara's monthly visits, besides the political opportunities. Kiragakure had extensive intel.

"Which is why," Tsunade continued, "That I feel it is important, not only to keep Konohagakure's prominence in this year's exams to a minimum… but why I wanted to co-host the event. It would do well for both of our villages to show an allied front, and by allowing the third portion of the exams to be held by your village…"

"It gives Kiragakure the ability to flaunt its wealth and prominence to those who would be purchasing the ninjas and their skills," Mei nodded, "Which I will agree to."

"That is the first good news I have heard all day," Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief and unrolled a series of scrolls for Mei to sign, one of each would be sent to the remaining major ninja villages, which would participate in the exams, and to the leaders and prominent figures of all five nations, notifying them when and where the final portion of the exams would be held.

"Now," Tsunade thought, "I only have to pray that those three idiots stay busy with this mission long enough for the registration to close." It would open today… and it would continue for two weeks, allowing members from the five other ninja villages—Sunagakure, Kiragakure, Otogakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure—to send their applicants. If Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke were kept busy long enough… they would not be given the option of competing, and she would not be forced to deny obviously acceptable applications.

A severe sense of foreboding warned Tsunade that her hope was doomed. It made the Hokage long to open her desk drawer which concealed her private stash of sake.


	3. Nights are for Brooding

_Alright! I managed to get the second chapter finished much sooner than initially anticipated, which gives me until October before I have to worry about the next update._

_As always, just **skip to below the horizontal line** if you don't want my notes (but I'll keep them short this time)._

_I want to say a thank you to user Kreatyve. She has been very supportive and has given me a great deal of feedback on what little I put up thus far (and she's entertained my insanity longer than anyone should have to. She's a saint!) I would also recommend that you go and read her story: Lets Play a Love Game. I find it delicious!_

_This chapter does a great deal of characterization (because I have so much of it to get through before all the action really starts), but there is also some history and backstory... I really liked writing it. It picks up immediately after chapter 1 (most of the chapters will do that). You get to see further into the personalities of a few of the kids, and I do my best to have their issues and personalities come across. Hopefully I manage (but you'll have to let me know)._

_Lastly, because there isn't too much more to say at this point, I've learned of an exclusive Naruto fanfic club. It's call the 1,000 reviews club. That is now my goal for this story (cause it is turning out to be a long one): I plan on getting 1,000 reviews by the end of it. In order to do that I'm going to need all the help I can get, so I'm going to be whoring my story out for shameless attention, I will be whoring my review skills/critiquing abilities (in return for your own thoughts, so if you want me to review your story... all you have to do is ask! XD). Also, I've finished my outline for this story up until the joint mission is completed, so things should flow very quickly. I'm still only claiming to do 1 chapter a month, but I feel confident that I can be more productive than that. Until next time!_

**_Sarai_**

* * *

**Naruto: Kurashio**  
**Chapter 2 – Gentle Currents**

The three idiots were currently arguing outside the gates of Konoha. The subject of their argument, if their students been privileged enough to hear it, would have seemed more childish than anything Sasuke had ever seen in his life. It was a very simple decision: did the teams travel together or not?

Naruto was currently arguing the benefits of three genin teams traveling together to reach their destination. After all, they didn't have any team-specific goals until they reached the city of Ishitohi, the industrial capital of Fire Country. Each team had been assigned a surveillance target; however, all three targets were located somewhere within the city, which was a day's journey away. Naruto's argument was in favor of traveling together, suggesting that it would keep the kids' morale up. Kakashi was against it, stating that nine children in one group would be an unnecessary distraction and could welcome unwanted trouble.

As far the Uchiha was concerned, he didn't care either way. Admittedly, having Naruto along would keep the genin in good spirits. The man worked wonders with kids, which is probably why the blond never seemed overwhelmed with three of his own. Sasuke was still constantly fighting the urge to pull his hair out some days. Three boys were a nightmare on the best days. How Naruto managed it, Sasuke would never know. He did know that he wouldn't mind going on a mission with Naruto, mainly because they hadn't been on an assignment together in months, and the Uchiha was eager to see how much Naruto had improved. The blond was always improving, as was Sasuke.

Kakashi, however, had never been one to do things for someone else, simply for the sake of being nice. The silver haired main liked certain things, and he enjoyed doing those things his own way. Having Naruto and Sasuke around would potentially undermine his authority, or at least keep him from being an obnoxious pervert. These were largely the contributing factors to Kakashi's resistance, and Sasuke knew it. When it came to wanting his way, the silver-haired jonin was worse than a child in that aspect.

"You're just being stubborn, Kakashi!" Naruto growled, "There's no reason to go three different ways when we are all headed to the same place."

"Naruto-kun," Kakashi lectured, "We are supposed to be ninja. Ninja are stealthy. No matter how good you are, it is impossible to completely hide a group of twelve ninja when they are traveling. We could be attacked."

Naruto laughed, "And who would be stupid enough to attack a group of twelve ninja, especially when there are _three _jonin present?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this; Naruto made a good point. If this was a surveillance mission, then it was highly unlikely that anyone would want to attack them. In the first place, it was even more unlikely for anyone to know they were coming. Apart from Kakashi, Naruto, and himself, who were dressed in the typical jonin vest and jumpsuit, the genin were dressed in their everyday outfits. It would look like nothing more than an outing, perhaps a field trip to outside observers: a bunch of kids who were enjoying a night camping.

"It might actually make a better cover," Sasuke mused aloud, "If we stuck together, anyone we came across wouldn't think much about three jonin escorting a bunch of kids."

"See!" Naruto pointed victoriously, "Sasuke agrees."

"It doesn't matter if Sasuke agrees," Kakashi said bluntly, his features completely emotionless despite the fact most of them were hidden by his mask. "I hold seniority."

Sasuke bristled at this comment, and apparently Naruto felt offended as well.

"Who says?" the Blond challenged, "I'm just as strong as you, Kakashi!"

"_You're actually stronger_," Sasuke thought to himself. Naruto had never fought with Kakashi outside of training, but the raven-haired knew he was more than capable of taking down the elderly Hatake. In terms of sheer strength, Naruto was the most capable ninja among the three of them.

Kakashi shrugged, "Age before beauty, Naruto. Your teams are welcome to travel together, but mine will be going alone."

"But…" Naruto deflated, a sorrow creeping over his normally vibrant eyes.

All at once Sasuke understood why Naruto had been fighting so vigorously for this: he wanted to spend time with the boys. Not just one of them, not just two of them… but all of them. This was one of the few, rare instances where they could all be together like a family. Yes, they had some time at home together, but generally one or more of them were away on a mission. Naruto desperately wanted this, and Kakashi was stopping it from happening. Sasuke held nothing but respect for his old, perverted sensei… but no one, and he meant NO ONE, made _his_ dobe sad.

"You actually don't have seniority…" Sasuke interrupted, fixing Kakashi with a dark glare, "You retired, remember? When Tsunade reinstated your status, you didn't go back to being Jonin Commander… just jonin. You're the same rank as us, and technically we have more field time logged. Therefore, not only do we out vote you, but we out rank you. The teams travel together, Kakashi."

The older man raised his one visible eyebrow in surprise. Normally Sasuke wasn't this verbal, and he normally didn't take sides in an argument. "You may be my equals now," Kakashi smiled, "But I control my squad, not either of you."

Naruto looked as if he was going to yell something-or-the-other, but Sasuke held up a hand to stop him. The old jonin was attempting to bait a reaction out of them. Kakashi loved playing mind games as much as he enjoyed writing perverted novels… well, Sasuke would just give the geezer what he wanted.

Taking several quick steps forward, Sasuke closed the distance between himself and Kakashi. They were merely inches away, staring into each others eyes. The creeping silence threatened to drag on forever, and there was a great deal being said in that silence, challenges made and memories reviewed, before Sasuke finally spoke. His voice was barely audible, heard only by Kakashi, but it held far more weight than any whisper could hope to carry.

"Listen to me well, Kakashi," Sasuke let a hint of venom into his voice, "My son is on your team, and as such… it makes what you do my responsibility. This is only his second mission, and, seeing as it's a joint assignment, Naruto and I have just as much or more say about what you do with our son. You _will_ travel with us, and you _will_ cooperate. End of discussion."

Kakashi took a step back, evaluating Sasuke with a rapidly roaming eye. "Very well…" Kakashi finally sighed, raising his hands in defeat as if he were too lazy to be bothered any longer. "We may as well get moving. I swear, you two have always tried to waste my time." The man turned and walked back to collect his squad, and Sasuke watched him until his silver hair disappeared around a corner.

"Wow…" Naruto interrupted the silence. "That whole… _intimidation_ thing was pretty hot, Sasuke." The blond came prancing over, exuberance back in his feature. "So what did you say to get ol' pervy pants to agree? Huh? Huh?" A pair of blonde eyebrows waggled at Sasuke suggestively.

"I told him that if he agreed," Sasuke smirked at Naruto, "Then he could use you as a character in his next book."

Naruto's face froze in horror, his jaw dropping, "Wah-wah-what? Sasuke! You didn't!"

"Heh," the Uchiha's smirk only got bigger as Naruto panicked. He gave the blond a wink before walking off to collect his own team, leaving Naruto to believe whatever he wanted.

[…]

"Ugh… we've been walking for hours!" Chino complained loudly. The robust kid's stomach soon growled loudly, accentuating his statement. "I'm starving! When are we going to make camp?"

Hana regarded the boy with an amused grin before pouncing on Chino's back and hanging onto him as if he were a tree, "You're always hungry, Cheenie! Why should now be so special?"

"Ow!" the boy exclaimed upon feeling Hana's fingernails latch onto him, holding her in place on his back. It's not that it was particularly painful, but rather that the pressure was unexpected and it didn't go away… gravity was making certain of that. "Get off me, Squirrely!"

Hana's chattering laughter rang in his ears as she nimbly back-flipped off of him and landed somewhere beyond the boy's line of sight. Chino continued to grumble, pulling his large, brown coat around him tightly as he trudged up the road, listing off an entire month's menu that he would prepare after this torture was over.

Ignoring her hungry teammate, Hana instead turned her conversation to the animals seated upon her shoulders, "He's a bit grumpier than usual." Ying, her albino squirrel, gave a singular squeak and nodded in agreement. She caught the movement out of the corner of her right eye.

The black squirrel on her left then chattered a string of sounds, which sounded like an explanation, and shook a fist at the white one. Hana laughed merrily, "I take it you both agree… and that you are hungry as well, Yang?" She smiled at the black squirrel. Yang merely nodded and turned his nose up at her.

"Aw… don't be like that," Hana frowned in feigned disappointment. She then took a running leap and tossed the squirrels onto the nearest tree branch, "Go bring us back a snack then!" The two were gone in flurry of white and black fur, squealing loudly as they started bickering with one another, yelling squirrel insults which brought Hana to fits of laughter.

"I don't get how you understand them…"

Hana turned to see who had spoken, although she knew the voice. "Well, Jira," Hana smiled coyly, "It's really simple…" She walked up to him and batted her eyes lightly, "It's because I'm smarter than you."

Jira raised an eyebrow at this, his pale eyes widening just a fraction. Hana liked this reaction from her cousin. With a wink and a smile, she turned and continued to follow the path, and Jira made no attempt to continue the conversation.

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, Hana let out a soft sigh. It was difficult being on a team with Jira… his father had been very close with her mother, and, even though Hana had never met her uncle Neji, she had seen enough family pictures to notice the resemblance. Jira looked like a blond-haired, photocopy of her uncle, although his eyes were a bit different… and that Neji hadn't actually been her uncle, rather a cousin, but Hinata had always thought of him like her brother.

Her mother had often told stories about Neji, especially about the times when Hinata had been a girl. From those stories, Hana had learned that her uncle had been a very powerful ninja… and Neji and her mother had not always gotten along. They had fought often, mostly over insignificant things: like who was better equipped to carry the family name. It was all stupid, but apparently the village elders, and the influential members of the family, put weight on such issues back then.

And things hadn't changed much from the past. Even though her uncle Neji had patched things up with Hinata, allowing her to take over as head of the family, and had ended up practically married to her Senpai, the village still placed a great deal of honor upon strong family members. It was customary, and assumed, strong members of the bloodline were supposed to inherit the power of said family. It had strained Hinata and Neji's relationship… and it currently strained Hana's teamwork with Jira.

Jira wasn't technically a member of the Hyūga clan, and his father did not seem interested in making him part if it. But, because Neji had been one of his parents, Jira had inherited the Byakugan, and that made him of great interest to the Hyūga elders. Byakugan was a ninjutsu specific to the Hyūga bloodline, and it didn't show up in every child. Because it was such a rare ability, every child possessing it was prized by the Hyūga clan. Hana had inherited this jutsu as well, along with her father's ability to communicate and mimic animals. Because of this, she was primed to one day take over one or both families… a great deal was expected from her.

But Jira was much more promising for the Hyūga… and, as it always happened time and again, Jira was constantly compared to famous uncle Neji Hyūga—a prodigy. Hana couldn't keep up with Jira no matter how hard she tried… not with the Byakugan and not with the Gentle Fist taijutsu. Every day she would dedicate to training, Jira seemed to grow three days worth. Their level of discrepancy was painfully evident, and people in the Hyūga family had made their concerns known on more than one occasion: they wanted Jira accepted into the clan.

There was only one thing stopping this from happening: Naruto-senpai.

Hana thanked the ancestors daily for her adopted uncle/godfather/teacher/father-away-from-her-annoying-biological-and-overtly-loving-father. It's not that Hana didn't love her parents, but seeing as how both of them were heads of important ninja clans, constantly bothering with family and village politics; it was nice to escape to Naruto's house, to hang out with her friends, and not feel any pressure... even if it meant spending time with Jira.

She felt bad now, for not liking her cousin. Jira had never once rubbed his abilities in her face, nor had he asked for admittance into the Hyūga family… but Hana couldn't help it. She didn't like being compared or viewed as weaker, because she was so much more than people and their opinions… "_But he is even more than that_," she thought dejectedly.

There was a light taping sound to her right, and Hana looked up to see Naruto's concerned features looking at her, "You alright, kid?"

"I'm not a kid…" Hana mumbled.

"You fit under my elbow," Naruto smiled at her, "You're a kid." Having said that he pulled her into a one armed hug and ruffled her hair.

"Senpai! Stop!" She pushed him away giggling. The reaction caused her teammates to look at them, but no one said anything.

"Alright, alright," Naruto held up his hands, proving that he was stopping. Hana laughed again, thankful that her teacher had managed to break through her sullen mood.

"Ok, you three, listen up," Naruto called out, "Sasuke's team is about to return from their exercise, and this isn't a field trip. Even though we are traveling together, you have to stay alert… so here is your exercise: I want to take up surveillance on Sasuke's team… watch for an opening, and grab their headbands…" he looked at the three of them and smirked, "Think you can do it?"

Hana's eyes widened for a moment, then they narrowed slyly together as she began to formulate her strategy. Her teacher was a troublemaker, and he knew this would be annoying for the other team, but it was also a perfect preparation exercise for the mission, "Any rules?" she asked.

"If you get caught before grabbing a headband," Naruto grinned mischievously, "You have to eat Sasuke's cooking, but, if you all succeed, I'm cooking tonight!"

There were conjoined moans of despair and delight at the possibilities. They had all eaten over at Jira's house before, and Hana knew how horrid mister Sasuke's cooking could be… but she also knew how delicious uncle Naruto's food always turned out. Judging from the look of fire in Chino's eyes, he also knew what was at stake.

"I won't fail!" Chino proclaimed.

"Then get hidden and take up positions," Naruto smirked, "Chino you take Gakira, Jira you take Sainō, and Hana… you take Kit." There was a demented look of glee in Naruto's eyes as he gave the last target.

Hana wanted to moan out loud; she could not have been given a worse draw. Of all the young genin, Naruto's children were pretty much the tops, which was hilarious if you took into consideration her mother's stories. According to Hinata, Naruto had been almost dead-last back in the day, barely mentionable as a genin; however, he had managed to become stronger than most of the ninja in the six villages. That strength had passed onto his children, and given their bloodlines… all three boys were incredible opponents.

The ancestors hated her; Hana decided this as she dashed off into the trees. She was definitely going to be relying on luck and a cunning strategy now... but mostly luck.

[…]

The clearing for the campsite was deserted as Team five made their return. Sasuke rated the three genin on their performances, giving them fairly decent praise, while at the same time managing to make them all feel like amateurs. He was a hard teacher to please. Kit was brooding about the results of their exercise as he dropped his bag on an unoccupied space of ground, claiming it as his for the night.

He lifted a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing a bit of the tension away while he watched his team members begin to wind down for the evening. Kit sighed and lowered himself into a cross-legged position next to his pack. Teams three and seven were currently off on some exercise, which was a little odd considering that it was about to get dark. The sun had already disappeared behind the tree line, and the last rays were just beginning to flicker and die as they turned into twilight.

"_Dad's still here_," Kit mused, "_So his team can't be too far away. He's a bit carefree but I doubt he'd let them run off._"

Then again, they could be doing whatever they wanted to. Naruto was a much more lenient leader than Sasuke, and he didn't push his students as hard. Unlike Sasuke, who refused to be anything but stern in his tutelage... especially where his stepson was concerned. Kit anguished daily about his predicament, having to be on Sasuke's squad and still see him when he went home. It wasn't that Kit hated being under Sasuke's leadership… but he, well, hated it. His stepfather was very strict when they were in the field, and there was no exception for family.

It wasn't that Kit was asking for special privileges, but sometimes it seemed as if Sasuke was especially hard on him just because they lived together. Kit wondered if his teacher expected him to do better than his other two teammate simply for that reason alone, or if he was going out of his way to show that Kit wasn't his son? Each mission, Sasuke would place Kit in the lead and expect him to perform every duty required… and if he messed up, then he was punished with even more work, exercises, or training. It never got easier...

Suddenly, the redheaded boy found his thoughts violently punctuated as a screeching blur of white and black landing atop his head. At first Kit sat rigid, uncertain as to what as going on in his hair. Then he was jolted upright as two squirrels ripped his headband off, along with several strands of hair, before darting into the woods.

"What the—?" He made to run after them when he was suddenly approached by a girl, about his age, with wavy brown hair and startling silver eyes.

"Oh, Kitaka…" she mumbled hurriedly, bowing to him politely, "Sorry about Ying and Yang! I'll get it back for you!"

Kit watched the girl in confusion as she suddenly ran off into the woods. Wait, the girl was Hanawai Hyūga… what was Hana doing back in camp, and where was Jira? He spun around trying to locate his brother, but he saw nothing, save for Sainō and Kira snickering as they failed to contain their laughter at his predicament.

Their laughter was cut short; however, when there was the unmistakable sound of metal flying through the air. Saino was instantly pinned to the ground by a dozen expertly thrown senbon needles, and Kira was pinned to a nearby tree with several kunai. There was a rush of leaves and wind, and Kit was barely able to pick up on the movement of two bodies… Before he could make out who they were, they had vanished back into the forest.

Kit was on his feet in an instant, only seconds after Sasuke, both on full alert. In fact, Kitaka was about to draw a weapon of his own, when Naruto's laughter filled the clearing. With an angry glare, Kit turned to look at his father, who happened to be rolling on the ground with glee.

"You should see your faces!" Naruto howled.

Sasuke's glare was much sterner and infinitely more effective than Kit's. The redhead almost was afraid for his father's safety as his raven-haired teacher loomed over Naruto. The Uchiha looked murderous.

"Dobe!"

Naruto looked up at the sharp word, directly into Sasuke's stern eyes, and began howling again, "You were so shocked!"

With a growl, Sasuke turned away from the blond, knowing that his words would have no effect at the moment. Sasuke proceeded to remove Kira from the tree she was pinned to, while Kit went over to help Sainō. For all intents and purposes, the hyper-child was unharmed, rather, he was marveling at his current situation.

"Hey, Kit! Can you see this!" he exclaimed, "Whoever threw these didn't even hit me, and they came from the far end of the clearing! That's… like eighty feet! I can't even move!"

"I can see that," Kit muttered, pulling the senbon out of the dirt and tossing them to the side. It was quite tempting to leave the boy pinned for the rest of the night. With some clever taping, Sainō could be rendered motionless and silent; but, Kit doubted if his parent would approve. He wasn't even paying attention to the weapons, as he removed them, focusing all his attention upon ignoring the annoying chatterbox with brown and green hair. Sainō never stopped talking, or at least it seemed that way. Even on missions like this, the boy was loud. Kit was afraid that one day it would get them killed.

As he pulled the last senbon out, freeing his teammate, Kit finally took a look at the weapon, and shock was the only feeling he could register. The needles were dark crimson in color.

"Hey!" Sainō whined, "I know who uses those…"

Kit nodded, "Jira."

"Why'd he attack me…"

Kit was about to shrug when he noticed something else amiss. "Hey, Sainō… where's your headband?"

"Huh?" the nymph-like boy's hands suddenly shot to his head, feeling around for the accessory that obviously wasn't there, "Gah! It's fallen off! Where is it!"

"Mine's gone too!" Kira exclaimed from next to Sasuke. The girl was wildly looking around at the base of the tree, attempting to locate her headband as well.

Kit frowned; his headband was also missing. It had been taken by Hana's squirrels... and Jira had attacked Sainō. This whole thing smelled like a prank cooked up by his father, and, judging by the look on Naruto's face and the glare from Sasuke… Kit felt his suspicions were accurate.

"Ok, guys," Naruto said cheerily, crossing his arms, "I guess you can come out now."

A form dropped out of a tree to Naruto's right, and Kit noticed that it was Chino, his presence announced by a rather loud noise as the large kid hit the ground. It was often surprising to many of the genin, just how agilely and gracefully Chino was able to move... especially when considering his large frame and muscular bulk. The boy was by no means fat, but he was huge. He literally towered over the other kids-a good three inches taller than Jira, who was the oldest among them… well except for Kakashi's student, Ame, but no one really knew much about him.

From Naruto's left, Hanawai exited the forest. Both of her squirrels were perched on her shoulders, and she had Kit's headband held in front of her, both hands grasping it tightly. The girl looked at him apologetically, and Kit didn't really know how to respond. He had assumed the incident had been an an annoyance at first, just a mere accident, but now found himself impressed with her acting abilities and a little more than irritated that he'd been duped.

The last member of Naruto's team to appear was Jira. Kit watched his older brother seamlessly appear next to their father, a simple grin on his face as he handed the headband to Naruto.

"I believe that is mission accomplished," Jira said, taking a step back and crossing his arms.

Jira was what everyone considered to be the top genin. He'd been number one in his class, and most of his teachers suggested he should have immediately tried for the chunin exams. Naruto has refused though, stating that Jira could wait and train. Jira had gotten lucky enough to be put in their Father's team to receive that training. Kit supposed he should be thankful to have Sasuke as his team leader. The Uchiha was almost as powerful as Naruto, so it should have been a good thing. Kit knew he should have been as happy about this as Jira, but somehow his experience was different. Jira seemed to enjoy his missions, never complaining when his team was assigned to go out on one.

It was an entirely different feeling for Kit. Each new mission meant more time away from Jira and Naruto; it meant more time with Sasuke… more expectations... while Sasuke never gave him a reason for the stern demeanor. Kit never complained, though. Something inside him wouldn't give his stepfather the satisfaction, because he was certain that was what Sasuke was after. All Kit needed to do was complain, then he'd get removed from the team, and Sasuke could train precious little Fumato… the other prodigy.

Kit knew his eyes were very thin at the moment, glaring at Jira and his teammates for their little joke-mission. It only further pointed out how much his life sucked. Jira was a prodigy, a perfect son. Naruto seemed thrilled with every single action he took, and Fumato was exactly the same for Sasuke.

So... where did he sit? Kitaka had no idea why, but he never seemed to get any recognition, and he was just as good as Jira.

He found himself wishing, now more than ever, and much more frequently, that his other parent hadn't abandoned him. He hated Gaara even more than he hated his current position. Kit had this feeling, deep down, that if Sasuke had never shown up… then Gaara would look at him the way Naruto was looking at Jira, and not only that, they would have been equals. People would have looked at Kit as if he were a prodigy... and... they'd still have been a family. Everything was his stepfather's fault! Why couldn't Naruto see that?

Jira was giving him a raised eyebrow, that wasn't a good sign.

Quickly turning his gaze to the ground, Kit decided it was better not to make eye contact with anyone. Jira had this way of knowing when he was in a bad mood, and Kit preferred not to have to talk about it. Sometimes, it seemed as if Jira understood perfectly. As if he thought Sasuke was the source of their problems too… but every time Kit would mention Gaara, there was a strange coldness that would come over Jira, and the conversation would end.

Jira also refused to let Kit plot any sort of mischief against Sasuke, which Kit didn't understand. If they both didn't like the man, then why didn't they just get rid of him? Jira wouldn't explain; he never did. He always repeated the same thing: "_dad's happy_."

Kit didn't have any comeback to this. Their father had been happy, and it was a good thing. Naruto always took care of them, and despite Kit's anger… he had to admit, Naruto had always treated him and his brothers the same. They were punished the same, rewarded the same… and they all were the center of his attention when they were at home. Naruto was the best dad he could hope for... but he was only one of two dads currently in the mixture.

Secretly, because he would never admit this for fear of seeming cruel, Kit loved any time when Sasuke and Fuma weren't there—such as Gaara's last visit. It had coincided with Team Seven's first mission, and Sasuke had been off on a jonin assignment-which meant it had been just like old times. Kit and Jira had Naruto all to themselves, and Gaara was there as well. They had eaten dinner and watched movies; it had been perfect… like nothing had ever changed.

His memories of Gaara were few, but Kit always remembered them with clarity. He'd been two when Gaara had left them, and he hadn't understood it at all. One day his dad had been there... the next day he never came back. He'd been sad, and Jira had been angry; they'd both taken it out on Sakura... but before that day, Kit could easily remember all the smiles and laughter and games. Gaara had loved him, and still did, otherwise, why would he keep coming back.

The short weekend had also been torture once it had ended. It reminded Kit of everything he had lost when Sasuke showed up in their lives. The only reason Gaara didn't stay with them was because of Sasuke!

"Um… Kitaka?"

The redheaded boy looked up and saw Hana standing before him. Her silver eyes looked at him quizzically as she handed him something, "Here's your headband…"

The girl looked like she wanted to say something more, but Kit just snatched the headband away from her, turning his back to her as he reattached it to his forehead. He was in no mood to pretend tonight and had no desire to be polite.

"Um… I am sorry," she tried again, "For tricking you… It was just the only way—"

"I could tear you apart," Kit said coldly. This caused the girls breath to hitch. "I wouldn't even need my hands to do it. So... I understand why you did-what you did... just don't insult me or yourself by apologizing." He turned and fixed her with a cold, emotional glare of emerald eyes.

The girl nodded and turned away from his intense gaze, hurrying quickly away. Kit went back to his own thoughts, glad no one had witness the exchange… but then again, he wasn't the most observant person at the campsite that evening.

[…]

Kitaka had missed the knowing look with which the Uchiha was watching him. Sasuke had noticed Hana's departure, and was more than capable of putting two-and-two together. His leading genin was feeling sore about the whole "training" incident with Team Three, and, if Sasuke was being honest, he was a little sore about it as well. Naruto should have had the courtesy of _at least_ informing Sasuke about his little exercise, to let him know that his team would be targeted, but that was the one part of Naruto that refused to grow up: his prankster side. He was a perpetual child when it came to planning the next joke.

In many ways, Naruto had grown up to become quite sensible, which was a vast improvement over his youth. Naruto managed a family with three children, while at the same time carrying a genin team and S-level missions; however, Naruto could still be that hyperactive boy from their past, this was both an endearment and an annoyance for Sasuke. Thankfully, that nature had been tempered in Naruto's three sons. None of the boys, not Jira, Kit, or Fuma, were predisposed to practical jokes… though Kit did have a wild side to him which only Naruto understood.

It was this wild side which worried Sasuke. Not because he was afraid of the boy, or because he had any particular feelings against him. Sasuke just didn't know how to handle Kitaka. Communicating with the boy was difficult, and keeping his attention focused was nearly impossible. Sasuke knew beyond a doubt that Kitaka had great potential, after all his fathers were both incredibly powerful, but Sasuke doubted if he was the best teacher for Kitaka.

"_I can barely handle the, dobe…_" Sasuke sighed to himself, "_How can I manage a minature version of him __**and**__ Gaara?_"

He often found himself frustrated, and the only way to get Kit to focus was to place him in a situation where he had to be. This required being extra firm on the boy, which he didn't necessarily enjoy doing, but Sasuke was not going to coddle him either. Kit had everything in him to be great, just like Naruto... the only difference between them wast Naruto had fought for every scrap of acceptance he'd ever achieved, and Kitaka acted as if he was owed that acceptance. Sasuke wanted to teach him that respect and power, such as Naruto's case, had to be earned... it wasn't freely given. The lesson didn't seem to be taking.

Sasuke sometimes thought being a parent to the boy would be easier than teaching him. Perhaps he could help Kit more if he wasn't his teacher? Perhaps their relationship would be better... it would definitely be less stressful. It was a simple solution, the easy way out, but Sasuke had promised to never run away again. This challenge was no different. If Sasuke gave up on Kit; he was, in essence, giving up on Naruto. The raven-haired man refused to do that.

"Oy, teme, you have a headache?" Naruto was leaning toward Sasuke with a concerned look. The two of them were seated next to the fire, watching their six genin eat while they waited for Kakashi's team to return. Sasuke hadn't even realized that he'd slipped into "brooding mode" as Naruto enjoyed calling it.

With a firm shake of his head, Sasuke let Naruto know that his problem wasn't a headache… at least not a physical one.

"What's wrong?" Naruto's eyes grew concerned.

"_Damn…_" Sasuke inwardly seethed. Naruto was becoming steadily more perceptive the longer they were together; of course it went both ways—Sasuke could read Naruto like a book, but his Uchiha nature wasn't fond of being read by the blond in return.

"Come on, Sasuke… spit it out."

"You never think things through…" Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto cocked his head, looking confused and twelve years old once again, "What do you mean?"

"I mean you don't take everything into account, _especially _with things like the training exercise you pulled earlier tonight."

"It was a good exercise," Naruto frowned, "They had to follow your team undetected for an hour, _and _they had to take headbands from three very _capable _targets."

Sasuke smiled at the off-handed compliment, but that still didn't change things. "Yes," He agreed, "It was a good exercise for _your_ team…" He placed emphasis on the pronoun, trying to drive his point home to the thick-headed blond. It didn't seem to fully make its way into that skull. With a sigh, Sasuke continued, "…did you ever stop to think how it might affect my team? Your other son? Or even me? I almost attacked Jira tonight, because I thought for a moment this was an actual threat!" Sasuke didn't raise his voice, but there was a definite hurt and anger in his words.

Naruto's face fell into deep consternation as he contemplated Sasuke's words. "I should have let you know…" the blond said finally, "I didn't think about that."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. Normally there would have been an argument before Naruto gave in. Was he ok?

"What?" Naruto whined, "I can't admit a mistake?"

"No…" Sasuke breathed out, "It's just that you normally don't want to, _especially_ not to me."

Naruto grinned sheepishly, "That's because you're my rival, Sasuke. I can't be making mistakes around you."

"We stopped being rivals years ago, dobe," Sasuke dark eyes glittered with playfulness, "As you so enjoy… _repeatedly_."

Naruto blushed, quite visibly even in the flickering glow of the firelight, "Yeah…" He then cleared his throat and changed the subject back to the previous topic, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of the children, "But still, you point it out constantly, and Neji used to say the exact same thing: I don't think things through. And I don't! I just jump in once I think it's a good idea, and I don't look at all the angles…"

Naruto was babbling at this point, and Sasuke had tuned it out upon hearing Neji's name. The Uchiha was always given these reminders, obvious highlights where he had failed to think this own actions through. Naruto didn't do it on purpose, and Sasuke knew it was said only in passing... but he still loathed hearing about it. The thought that anyone other than him, that another person had placed their hands on Naruto… another person had made Naruto happy, it killed Sasuke on the inside.

Sasuke was a very selfish person; he would be the first to admit it. He had sworn to work on it, and he had been getting better… but it never got any easier. Especially when reminders of the past kept showing up... two of them living, breathing reminders. The past was inescapable; his mistakes constantly there. It make the Uchiha furious. Sasuke never got angry at Naruto, not once... just at himself. He would _**always **_be angry with himself; mainly because he had made too many mistakes, foolish mistakes, and they could never be erased.

"Which is why I need you…" Naruto's words pulled Sasuke out of his brooding once more.

"Come again?"

Naruto chuckled, oblivious to the fact Sasuke had been in his own head... or perhaps all too aware? The Uchiha would never know for certain. "I said," Naruto smiled at him, placing a blond head on Sasuke's shoulder, "You keep me balanced. You help me to see things I miss, or if I get lost with a one-track mind… which is why I need you, Sasuke. You keep everything balanced."

"Hn," was the smirked response as Sasuke leaned against Naruto, "You need me for more than just that, dobe."

"Shh…" Naruto chided quietly, "Don't ruin the moment by revealing your hidden pervert."

Sasuke found himself wanting to retort, but he was much too comfortable to bother thinking of something witty. He sat there, contented to breathe in the smells of the night: Naruto's soft scent as it mixed with burning wood and cool nightfall. Everything was perfect. The genin teams were chatting away happily with one another, the six of them laughing or grinning… even Kitaka was out of his funk it would seem. All they needed was Kakashi to bring his team back, and then Sasuke and Naruto could spend some time with Fumato as well. But, all together, things couldn't have been better than this exact moment.

"Hmmm…" Naruto sighed contentedly, mumbling as he slightly dozed off, "Always were right… Neji."

Sasuke frowned, more out of concern than anything. He shook the blond gently, "Naruto… are you there?"

The blonde's eyes looked up into Sasuke's face, those sapphire depths glazed over and shining like gems in the moonlight. It was only there for a moment, but Sasuke could tell that Naruto was registering something else entirely. Immediately, the blond snapped out of his daze and rubbed his eyes with the back of his free arm, the one not wrapped around Sasuke.

"Mmm, sorry, Sasuke… must have dozed off," Naruto said shamefaced.

"No, don't apologize," the dark-haired man let a weak smile show, trying not to make it look forced, "Just get some rest… I'll wake you before Kakashi gets here."


	4. Ishitohi: The Mission Begins

_**Welcome back!**_

As always, **skip to the horizontal line to avoid insane ramblings**.

I have a few notes I want to make about this chapter: **1)** it as very hard to write, because it was nothing but POV from Naruto's children. I think it came out a little too dramatic, and I'm glad to be getting onto the mission. I don't do emotion well... they are hard to write and they make my head hurt. **2)** Shikamaru and Ino's child Gakira, who is called Kira by all her friends... well, funny story is that her other nickname (if you take the first part of her name) "Gaki"... it actually means "brat" in Japanese. So, yeah... I did that on purpose (like really. I made certain that I could make that joke, even though no one would really get it unless I explained.) Most of my names actually have an odd meaning to them... like Kitaka for example is a mixture of the kanji for "red" and "fox" because of his red hair from Gaara and the fact that Naruto is, well, foxy. **3)** I don't like japanese terms too much. I use honorifics... and that's about it, unless I use it in a name (like Gaki). HOWEVER, I do use "teme" and "dobe" which are nicknames Naruto and Sasuke gave each other as kids (though it started out as insults). "Dobe" is a term that means "dead last" and it was spoken by Sasuke in like episode four or something of the anime. I can't remember where "teme" comes from, but it basically means bastard. I think they are adorable names, and something they would continue calling one another, and many others agree with me... I think? Anyways I wanted to explain that... **4) **This chapter sucked to write and probably to read. My apologies. Nough said.

I've also started making some character drawings for Naruto's children. I'm going to be putting up and image with each new chapter, hopefully, so that you can get an idea of what Jira, Fumato, and Kitaka look like. First of our pretty boys is Jira. You can follow this link: (yaoi. y- gallery. net/ view/ 725986/) You of course will have to remove the spaces) **Disclaimer: the link I am sending you to is completely clean, but I am not liable if you look at the dirty pics on y-gallery.** I also do not encourage it, though I, myself, happen to enjoy them. :)

That's pretty much it for this chapter. I hope you like it, I hope you like the picture, I hope you leave a review.  
A special thank you to all my reviewers, especially Kreative and Symphony! Loves to all my readers!

**_Sarai_**

* * *

**Naruto: Kurashio**  
**Chapter 3 – Undertow**

Kakashi had forced his team to run endurance exercises all day, and they were exhausted. The first exercise has been a practice in moving swiftly and silently. The three genin had to make it from one side of the road without being seen or making a noise, covering a distance of about thirty yards. It didn't appear to be a difficult challenge; however, they were supposed to be avoiding Kakashi. If they were caught, their teacher would strike them sharply with a well thrown rock.

Fumato was thoroughly bruised from that exercise, as were his teammates, and that had been the first of many. Another exercise had them move through the tree line without dislodging leaves, while yet another made them travel from shadow to shadow without disturbing anything around them or getting hit by sunlight. But the most difficult thing about all three was having to do them without food.

The reason for this, Kakashi claimed, was they could never know when a mission would go longer than expected or when unexpected circumstances would arrive. At any moment a ninja could be placed in a situation where food and water would not be an option… and they had to be able to perform at top capacity even with that knowledge.

While it all made perfect sense, Fumato was certain none of the other ninja teams were being worked as oppressively as his own… especially right before a mission. The young boy didn't complain, but the situation made little sense to him. He suspected it had something to do with the conversation between his fathers and Kakashi before the mission had begun, for Kakashi had returned in a foul mood. They had been on exercises since then.

Fumato hadn't seen a glimpse of his fathers all day, which was torturous by itself—especially when both of his brothers were getting that luxury.

Kakashi couldn't work them all day; they needed to be rested for the morning. So when he announced their exercises were finished, even though the sun had long set, Fumato was still glad to be returning to camp. What few, precious moments were left before sleep, he would get to spend them with his parents… both of them at the same time. He was even excited to have his brothers there as well.

Admittedly, Fumato didn't get along well with his brothers. It wasn't particularly anyone's fault… there just existed some unavoidable issues. The largest was Fumato's father—not Naruto, but Sasuke. It was obvious his older brothers didn't care much for him. Fuma didn't quite understand it, but he knew there were issues. Why they existed, he had not been told, and… really? He didn't care. Fumato loved Sasuke and Naruto dearly; they had both taken excellent care of him, never once depriving him… but neither did they spoil him. Most of all, Fumato knew they loved him.

Some of the other boys in his class had often teased him, asking Fumato about his mother… to which he would always reply: "_I don't need one_."

It was the truest statement he had ever known.

Of course, Fumato understood that he had a mother. He'd even met his biological mom—he didn't care for her too much. She was nice and all, but he felt they had nothing in common… and she always seemed to be looking at Sasuke with a strange glint in her eyes, and if it wasn't Sasuke—it was Naruto. Fuma found her to be slightly creepy at times, though other people didn't see it.

Other people didn't see most of the things Fumato saw… like the man who was always lurking around the house. Numerous times, Sasuke had told Fumato that they were just dreams or nightmares, but the man outside had been too real to be a dream, and his smile was too nice to be a nightmare. The boy couldn't explain why he saw some things which others did not, but he just knew they were there—and he accepted it without complaint.

Kakashi explained about how his accute observance was a gift, something his teacher called an important skill. Apparently it would become very useful one day. Fumato was rather apathetic towards the whole thing-something he must have inherited from Sasuke, because Naruto was normally excited about these things.

This brought a smile to the young boys face. He liked Naruto when he was excited… the house was always so loud and cheerful. Those times were even better when Kit joined in, when he wasn't acting furious at the world. His blond father and redheaded brother were so full of energy; they could manage to pull the entire house into their games. Those were some of the best days Fumato could remember… if only there were more of them.

Of his two brothers, Kit was the only one who openly did not like him. Fumato blamed the ninja teachers and the village elders for this. Kit was really strong, Fuma had seen this on numerous occasions, many when his brother had not known he was watching; however, no one else in the village seemed to notice Kitaka or his abilities. They noticed Jira, which was sometimes annoying… but they also noticed Fumato, which was also annoying. Thankfully Naruto and Sasuke kept that attention to a minimum.

He liked attention from his parents; he liked it even more when they praised his ninja abilities… but he really didn't like it when old people stuck their noses in, which they did all the time. Fumato couldn't stop the elders from sticking their noses where they didn't belong, but, if he couldn't stop them, then Fumato prefered they bother with him—that way the rest of his family would be spared from the stupid, annoying, longwinded, old elders—he could always smell the age on them, something like stale beer and pain cream mixed, and then rolled together, with baby powder.

They came around each week, at least one of them, checking up on Naruto and his kids. It was as if they were afraid something would change in that short amount of time. The only thing Fuma could see changing was his frustration… and soreness. Each day Kakashi worked them to the point of exhaustion, and left them with barely time to get enough sleep. Fumato needed sleep; he'd gotten that from Naruto. They both loved to sleep. There were so many times Fuma just wanted to curl up into a ball under the blankets and stay that way for the whole day.

Secretly, and he'd never tell his brothers this, Fuma enjoyed the weekends when they would be off with their friends. Jira and Kit were out playing most of those mornings, and Fuma would sneak into Naruto's room while both of his parents were still sleeping. Once there, here would curl up, in-between Naruto and Sasuke, and they'd just stay there for an hour or so… always making sure to be up before the boys came in for lunch. Fuma kept that one piece of happiness to himself, and, thankfully, Kakashi never worked him on the weekends.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile, Fuma…"

The young boy turned slightly to regard his companion. Ame was looking at him with a big smile, his eyes closed slightly as he enjoyed the night's walk back to camp. Ame was very easy to see in the dark, mostly because he was so pale… but partially because Fumato had always seen very well in the dark.

"I was just… remembering," the boy said quietly.

Ame nodded as if he understood, "Memories are there for a reason… shame to waste them." Having said that, the tall boy walked off ahead, his long, pale hair reflecting what moonlight was able to pierce the trees.

Of his two teammates, Fuma liked Ame the best. The other boy was normally concise with his words and he didn't need to talk in order to feel comfortable… whereas Gemma was loud and complained all the time. Yes... the more he thought about it, the more Fumato decided that Ame was much easier to handle.

Ame was also an excuse to visit Uncle Itachi, who was actually his _real_ uncle and not someone whom he was supposed to call an uncle, like Uncle Kiba. Fumato didn't like pretending; he'd never been good at those games. He felt like things should just be the way they were… just because he called someone an uncle didn't make it true and calling someone mom didn't make her a parent.

Parents were a touchy subject with Fumato, mainly because he loved his parents and got extremely angry when people made fun of his family. Ame had never teased him, unlike Gemma, who had joined the other boys at school and made fun of Naruto and Sasuke. Ame had even shut them up once, which was probably why Gemma never really talked to Ame. Fumato preferred it that way. They could get more work done in silence, and he could go home sooner.

He enjoyed being home. Things were simple there, and they required less work. If only the world would stop and he could spend nothing but time with his family… Fumato thought it would be as close to perfect as he could get. Of course the world refused to stop spinning, which was why people were constantly making him do things that he didn't want to do… like be out here in the woods in the middle of the night.

Thankfully he saw a prick of light break through the tree before him, and he was able to pick up the faint sound of laughter, a laugh he was very accustomed to. Upon hearing the noise, Fumato launched into a run, bursting past Ame as he headed straight for the light ahead. Fuma came barreling out of the woods and tackled his father into a hug.

The small, dark haired boy and the large blond haired man rolled across the ground, much to the surprise of everyone gathered around the fire. As they came to a stop, a pair of shining, blue eyes and a happy grin were directed at Fumato, and he was scooped up into a near-rib-cracking hug, before being unexpectedly tickled. Streams of laughter were forced out of him, and he yelled for his dad to stop... but his protests only came out as more laughter.

Fumato decided to fight back, ticking his father until they both finally collapsed on the ground in fits and giggles. Their laughter was cut short as a shadow came over them, and both Naruto and Fuma looked up to see the dark silhouette of Sasuke standing over them, blocking most of the firelight.

"Hi, dad…" Fuma smiled brightly.

Naruto was grinning wildly, "Look whose back, Sasuke!"

The raven-haired main appeared stern, staring down at them both with a look that couldn't be made out because shadows covered his features. At first Fuma thought his onyx-eyed father might be angry, because he'd made such a spectacle, but Sasuke unexpectedly swooped down and pulled him into a hug, spinning him around once before setting him on his feet.

"Welcome back, Fuma," Sasuke's smile was bright; one of the rare ones, but it was quickly replaced by a look of shock. Naruto, who had been forgotten on the ground, had snuck up behind Sasuke and proceeded to pull him and Fumato back down to his level. The three of them were soon rolling about like children. Fumato found himself giggling with glee, enjoying the moment… and even though Sasuke was shouting protests and trying to push Naruto off… the boy could tell both of his parents were enjoying themselves as well.

[…]

"Ha! You're parents are ridiculous!" Gakira laughed, pointing Jira's attention at the scene Naruto was making.

"You're one to talk, Gaki," Hana responded.  
"Hey! I've told you! My name is Kira! Get it right, Squirrely!"  
"Brat!" Hana snarled, both Ying and Yang baring their teeth at the offending girl.  
"Take that back, you bushy-haired—"

Jira had stopped paying attention at this point, shaking his head and sighing. This was why their teams never interacted. Outside of missions, they were all decent towards one another, in fact Jira had several friends in the other teams, such as Gemma and Sainō—though the latter was annoying even then. However it never failed, when the teams were gathered together in anything remotely competitive, bickering always ensued.

The eldest Uzumaki child reckoned his father helped cause the bickering this time, especially where Hana and Kira were concerned. Personally, he didn't care who was the most accomplished, the most attractive, the fastest… Jira didn't let petty things bother him. Naruto had always taught him that a ninja was only worth as much work as he was willing to put in, and, when it came to hard work, Jira knew he had clocked the most hours.

He was already the oldest genin present, save for Ame, but he didn't let his seniority make him arrogant. No, he still logged almost twice as many hours in training as the others. When his brothers were up and eating breakfast, Jira was practicing his forms; when his friends went to watch movies, Jira was doing exercises; and when his team was done for the day, Jira would take requests off the town notice board. These requests were often things too insignificant to even receive the lowest mission assignment, but Jira managed to make them challenging nonetheless, and it helped the elderly villagers... something he was always glad to do.

Jira felt that being idle was to waste time, therefore he always tried to keep himself busy. Apparently this made him come across as anti-social, something aunt Hinata had pointed out many times. Jira didn't care what other people thought, and he had said as much… to which Hinata had just laughed brightly and told him that he was too much like Neji.

That phrase had been said so much throughout his life, Jira often wondered if he was just a replacement for his missing parent. Perhaps he was the world's way of correcting an imbalance? He'd asked his father about this once, to which Naruto had become very stern.

"_You are not a replacement for anyone_!" _Naruto had scolded,_ "_You are very special. That you get compared to Neji… it only means that he put his best into you, just as I have… but you determine who you are, Jira._"

He'd never seen his father so serious, never in any memory Jira could recall. It was almost frightening, except for the amount of love spoken in those words. Naruto didn't see him as a replacement for Neji; he saw Jira as a son, and he always told Jira how proud he was. Naruto made certain to tell all three of the brothers how special they were… and then he normally gave his best effort at embarrassing them. That was how their father operated.

"Jira!" Naruto suddenly cried out, "Help!"

The boy looked up from his thoughts, surveying the scene with pale, calculating eyes. Apparently, Sasuke and Fumato had ganged up on the mischievous instigator and were tickling him mercilessly. Naruto was laughing uncontrollably, and Jira was shocked he'd even been able to call for help.

Jira let out a deep sigh, ran a hand through his long, golden hair, and stood up to go intervene. He stopped just beyond their reach, not taking his chances with the pile of tickling limbs before him, "Ok… you three are making enough noise to be heard back in Konoha."

Of course there was no response, nor did the two attackers relent in their assault on Naruto. Jira watch as his dad wriggled partially out of their clutches and, with a monumental effort, reached a hand out for assistance.

"Help me up!" Naruto cried, his large, blue eyes pleading.

Jira looked at him with a wary eye, but, when his dad broke out into another fit of laughter, the boy gave in and reached down. He took Naruto's hand in his own, pulling up… and was completely caught in the devious trap. In an instant, Jira found himself added to the pile of bodies, and he was none to happy about it… despite the fact that he was now being forced to laugh.

This was unbelievable! He'd actually trusted his dad to play nice, to not trick him, and what did Naruto do? He had pulled Jira right into the middle of it. Well, if he thought that was going to fly… Naruto was going to get the punishment of a lifetime. No wonder Fumato and Sasuke had ganged up on him.

As soon as he gained his bearings, Jira retaliated. It was quickly a game of three-against-one, which Naruto was currently losing… though not without putting up a valiant fight.

"Ah! Hahahaha" Naruto squirmed, "Help! Murder!"

The answer to his cries was a violent tremble. The entire forest seemed to quake, an occurrence which caused all frivolity to cease. Jira quickly stood up, just in time to see Kitaka stalking off into the woods. The small redhead shoved past a returning Kakashi, who had been rather late when compared to his team, but Jira was too concerned to wonder about that.

"Kit?" Naruto's gaze followed his departing son, confusion spreading across his features.

Jira didn't hesitate, bolting after Kit. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he had his suspicions.

[…]

"I have to go after them!" Naruto was on his feet in an instant. He felt something holding him back. With a quick look down, Sasuke had a hold on his vest, still seated on the ground with Fumato in his lap.

"Sasuke! I have to make sure Kit's okay," Naruto protested.

Sasuke responded with a quick shake of his head, "He'll be fine. He's just angry. Let Jira bring him back."

"He's not fine!" Naruto argued, pulling his vest free of the restraining grip, "If he were... _fine..._ he wouldn't have run off!"

There was suddenly a hand on his shoulder. Naruto craned his neck to see Kakashi standing behind him, "Naruto-kun… he'll be fine. Sasuke is his team leader. If he felt something were wrong, it would be up to him to go after the boy. Remember that this is first-and-foremost a mission."

Naruto didn't say anything; he didn't trust himself not to argue. He just gave Kakashi a stiff nod.

"Good," the silver-haired man smiled beneath his mask, "Now where is this food I smell?" The old man didn't get a response from Naruto, so he decided to go pester the children who were around the fire, which was the most likely source of the delicious smell.

Dropping to the ground with a huff, Naruto just glared off into the distance. He felt a light touch on his elbow and turned to see Fumato. Such serious, charcoal eyes sent a wave of empathy through the blond man. The boy was worried, which mirrored Naruto's feelings, but it was Naruto causing Fumato to worry—just as Kit was worrying him.

The blond chastised himself for getting out of hand and smiled reassuringly at Fuma, "It's okay… I'm fine. I just don't like seeing you boys upset." He brought up a worn hand and brushed Fumato's cheek affectionately, his thumb brushing over the similar whisker marks.

"I know, dad," the boy gave Naruto a hug and then got up to join the other genin, leaving Naruto and Sasuke seated on the ground in silence.

"Neh… Sasuske, sometimes I wonder if our kids are smarter than we are."

The raven responded with a chuckle, "Sometimes that wouldn't be a difficult feat with you."

"Are you calling me stupid, teme!"  
"No, dobe… just simple."  
"That's just as bad!"  
"Not always," Sasuke smirked, wrapping an arm around Naruto's waist. "Definitely not in this case…"

Naruto frowned, trying to understand what Sasuke meant. He finally accepted that it was not an insult and scooted closer, "You really think he's alright?"

"He's angry," Sasuke's voice was concerned, "I can't figured out why, though I have ideas... but... he's young, and he's tough... he'll be fine."

"And Jira's with him," Naruto said, relaxing as he said the words.  
"Heh," Sasuke smirked, "That should let you know everything is fine."

Naruto nodded, feeling tired again, "Yeah, he's a good kid. Just like his dad…"

[…]

"Just like his dad…" Sasuke repeated, looking down to see Naruto sleeping again. The blond was breathing in and out in short breaths—it almost sounded like purring. The vibrations of it spread through Sasuke almost as fully as Naruto's intense body heat. With the blond nestled against him, there would be no need for a blanket tonight.

"You have no idea," Sasuke whispered to his sleeping companion.

Naruto was most likely referring to Neji; Sasuke was fairly certain of this. Naruto saw the best of each man in his life. Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke were all perfectly represented in Naruto's three sons, the things he loved. But Sasuke had noticed something else: Naruto never mentioned seeing himself in the children, which was odd... because if the three boys took after _anyone_—it was Naruto. They had inherited his best traits: kindness, loyalty, perseverance, honesty… even his brashness, though it was thankfully tempered.

The boys took after Naruto, and he refused to mention it… perhaps even acknowledge it. Sasuke suspected it had something to do with Naruto's childhood, where he needed to constantly prove himself—to be acknowledged. No one ever accepted him because of who he was, only after what he did for the village, which explained why Naruto viewed his traits as undesirable.

And now his children were the center of all attention in Konoha. Naruto probably wanted the villagers to remember their talented heritage, not that the three boys were the children of the Nine Tailed Demon fox. Kyuubi haunted Naruto to this day, and even though the fox had been docile for years… the damage had been done—to Naruto and the village. Sasuke knew there was nothing he could do about people and their preconceptions, besides Naruto had dealt with them. He'd become tolerated my everyone and accepted by most.

But as the Uchiha sat there in the night, basking in the soft fire's glow and the warmth of his Naruto, he knew, no matter the time it took, he would make the dobe see his own worth.

[…]

Jira caught up with Kit nearly half a mile away from the campsite.

His brother hadn't been difficult to follow. The angry, younger Uzumaki had left an obvious trail, and Byakugan made it child's play to follow. When they had been younger, Kitaka had always added an extra rule to hide-and-seek: Jira couldn't use his eyes.

A smirk played across the golden-haired boy's lips at this memory. As kids, they didn't know what Jira's talent was, not knowing it to be a powerful ninjutsu. All the young Kitaka knew was it allowed Jira to find him much too easily; thus, Jira's eyes were banned. It was a comical thought now, especially since he could control it… and they never played such games anymore, but Jira had learned to listen very carefully because of that rule.

The sound of crying was evident as Jira drew closer. It wasn't wailing or sobbing, rather short, choked sobs… a sound created when anger and grief mixed together. Kitata was obviously upset, he'd stormed off and nearly scared everyone to death in the process… and whatever had made him angry was obviously an emotionally touchy issue—something Kit had never handled well.

"Hey…" Jira said quietly, "You planning on running all night?"

Kit didn't turn. He brought up a hand to wipe at his face, not wanting Jira to see tears. Kit rarely cried, even as a child; he viewed it as being weak. Because of their close relationship, Jira had seen it happen on a few occasions, but each time Kit would try and hide the tears… wanting to be strong.

Silence hung in the air for several minutes. Kit stood with his back to Jira, who was thankful that the boy had stopped running; at least it was a start. When the redhead showed no signs of communicating, Jira tried again, "Dad's worried… you normally keep your power under control."

Kit turned and glared at him, and Jira had to admit: those emerald eyes were frightening when they were angry. "I know that!" the redhead snarled, "I… just—!" The boy lost his anger, deflating as Jira continued to stare at him, "…I couldn't stay there anymore… watching that."

"Watching what?"

"Them!" Kit shouted again, "Dad playing and laughing with _them_!"

"It wasn't just Dad playing with them," Jira said calmly, "You could have joined in."

"I'd rather get caught in the rain!" Kit snarled.

For Kit that was a rather crude statement. The boy hated the rain and everything which went with it: thunder and lightning and dark clouds… especially the water. As a child, Kitaka had been petrified at the sound of thunder. The only way he could sleep through it was by crawling in bed with either Jira… or Naruto, something which happened rarely once Sasuke had started seeing their father. So Jira had spent many a night coaxing his little brother to sleep with soft words and a reassuring presence, and, even after he fell asleep, Kitaka would unconsciously reach out to make certain someone was still there.

"It wasn't so bad," Jira offered, giving Kit a wry smile, "I joined in… and it even turned out to be fun. A bit embarrassing… but—"

"How could you just… _do _that? After he destroyed our family!" Kit yelled, rounding on his brother, "And of course dad would ask _you _to rescue him! You're always first, Jira! You always do everything right!"

And there it was… the fight they always had. Kit would get angry about Sasuke, and then he'd project it onto something he could handle. "It's not like that…"

"Of course it is! You're his favorite."

"Dad doesn't have favorites!" Jira said, his voice raising an octave. If there was one case where Jira refused to be calm, it was when someone attacked their father… even if it was Kit.

"Sure… and I supposed Sasuke doesn't either?" Kit's voice was dripping with sarcasm.  
"I can understand you being upset about him, but leave Dad out of it!" Jira snapped.  
"Why? He's all Dad ever thinks about!"  
"That's not true, and you know it."

"You're right, Jira," Kit's voice became patronizing, "There's Fumato… the _other _favorite!"

"It's that what this is about? That Dad was playing with Fuma?"

Kit's answer was nothing but a glare.

"Geeze, Kit! Grow up!"

Kit snapped at those words. Before Jira even saw it coming, and if he'd had Byakugan activated he would have, Kit formed a hand sign and threw it at him. The earth between them literally erupted and formed into a giant, earthen hand. The hand swatted Jira, pinned him to the nearest tree, and began to tighten slowly.

"Grow up? Who do you think you are?" Kit screamed, "You get it so easy! Your life is perfect! You get to see dad every day! The whole village thinks you're some sort of godchild! Everyone says I should be like you... well, what if I don't want to grow up!"

Every time Kit's voice altered in pitch, Jira could feel the strength of the earth around him tighten. Kit was never in control when he got angry. Naruto had once told Jira how Gaara had been the same way. Kit's jutsu was unstable when his emotions got chaotic… like right now. Most of the time, their father would take care of it… he would calm Kit down, or take him off on some trip... otherwise someone could get hurt.

Or killed…

"My life… isn't… perfect," Jira said, grunting against the increasing pressure and trying to stay calm. "And if anyone… is Dad's favorite… it's you."

Kit took a step back, his eyes softening a bit. The moment's pause was enough for Jira to escape, wriggling out of the jutsu's grasp and dropping to the ground.

"You're wrong…"

Jira looked up, breathing heavily, "No… I'm not."

"I'm not his favorite!" Kita shouted again.

"You're the only one he can relate to!" Jira said, his face half grimace-half smile, "How many times do you get angry… or hyper… or you feel like you can't sit still?"

Kit looked at the ground embarrassed, "All the time…"

"And who is it that helps you all the time?"

"Dad…" the redhead said quietly.

"That's right," Jira got to his feet, moving closer to Kit, "You and dad have a bond that neither Fuma nor I, will _ever _understand. He will always put you first and make sure you're taken care of."

"Yeah," Kit sniffed, rubbing his eyes with both hands, "But it's only because I'm so much trouble… You and Fuma never cause problems. If… if Gaara was here, maybe he'd…"

"He's not here, Kitaka!" Jira snapped, his eyes getting cold—harsh even.

Jira could see Kit reel from the tone in his words, as if they had slapped the younger boy, "He… he would have been… but Sasuke—"

Jira sighed, "You can't keep blaming Sasuke. Yes, it may have been different had he never shown up; I get that, Kit, I really do… but the truth is… Dad left… and Gaara abandoned us. I don't blame him, but it doesn't change what happened."

"But… he wanted me… didn't he?" Kit was crying again, not even trying to hold the tears back.

Jira had his arms around his brother in an instant, hugging him in a nearly suffocating grip, "Of course he did! That's why he still visits!"

"Then… why did he leave?"

"I… I don't know," Jira whispered.

It was the one thing he didn't have an answer to, and if Jira was getting everything off his chest… it was the one question which always plagued him. Jira's other biological father, Neji Hyūga, had died before he was ever born. It wasn't something Naruto talked about, so Jira didn't know any details; however, the person who had always been a father to Jira, especially when Naruto had been in one of his darker moods, was Gaara.

Gaara had been more of a father to Jira than he had been to Kit. What his little brother did not know, was that Gaara's departure had been even more difficult for Jira to handle. It was still a sore subject, and every time Kit brought it up… Jira could feel that old abandonment again. While Kit looked forward to each of Gaara's visits, Jira hated them. Each visit was another, smaller abandonment… one that prevented them from creating a normal family.

Jira was more than willing to give Sasuke a chance, because he could see how happy the Uchiha made their father. It was a chance for a normal existence, and things were getting better every day; yet, once a month, Gaara would come to visit, and everything would go to hell. The signs were subtle, but Jira could see them… and he suspected Fumato could as well.

Sasuke would always take a mission before the visits took place, and he would come back injured, depressed, or sullen. Naruto would become aloof after Gaara's visit ended; he would become distant for several days following... hardly communicating with anyone. Kitaka would, of course, be extraordinarily happy for one or two days after the visit… then he would slip into an anger filled depression for days to weeks at a time, silently brooding but refusing to open up to anyone. All the while, Jira was left to deal with the aftermath… and it happened every... single... month.

Thankfully Fumato had this uncanny ability to see when Naruto was unhappy. Their youngest brother had a strange gift, which allowed him to reach their blond father, no matter how distant he became. It was for this reason—Jira couldn't find it in his heart to hate the boy. In fact, he doubted he could hate Fuma regardless, but Jira understood how the small, darkhaired child could reach their father in a way Kitaka and he could not. They all had their special place in Naruto's heart. Hopefully, one day Kit would be able to see this as well.

Right now… Jira was content to just hold his younger brother. Kit sobbed his anguish, attempting to flush it from his body with heated tears; Jira let a few tears of his own escape, silent and unnoticed. He wasn't proud of it; Jira hated not being strong enough for everyone in his family.

But the tears were liberating, his own private solace. Tears allowed a person to bear their soul; they cleansed the heart. For now, Jira would let the tears do their work, but he knew, somehow, this vicious cycle had to stop.

Otherwise their family would never fully escape the past.

[…]

The next morning saw the sunrise as it danced across the horizon, light flickering and glinting off the skyline of Ishitohi. Kit stood next to Sasuke and his teammates as they surveyed the scene before them. The redhead was tired, having spent most of the night speaking with Jira before they made their way back to camp. None of the other genin had been awake, and Kakashi and Sasuke had said nothing about their late hour upon returning; however, Sasuke had made it clear this morning—Kit was not allowed to participate in the mission if his head was not completely focused.

Kit had only nodded. While he was admittedly tired, he had more than enough sleep to focus on the task at hand.

"The three of you know our objective," Sasuke said, he was paying close attention to the city. "You will split up and locate the target. Once the target is located, you will contact the rest of the team and we will set up a four-point surveillance. Our primary goal is to track the target's patterns, learn any habits; thus, if he ever deviates from them… we'll know whether or not something is out of the ordinary. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei," Kira nodded, her normally wild, brunette hair was pulled back in a ponytail similar to her mother's. She was obviously taking the mission quite seriously.

Sainō was grinning from ear-to-ear, "Ready!"

Kit hadn't taken his eyes away from the skyline of Ishitohi. His focus was already on the mission. Their target was one of three: Naruto's team was following the head of Ishitohi's preeminent industrial corporation, who was suspected of dealing with the local gangs; Kakashi's team was following the leader of the largest of these gangs, which was known to be in possession of many smuggled weapons; and Sasuke's team was following the chief of police.

Kit had realized their target could be the most dangerous of the three, primarily for the reason they were tailing him. Government officials, who had asked Konoha ninjas to accept this mission, suspected that the Police Chief was taking bribes from whoever ran the weapons smuggling operation. Kit had to admit it was suspicious, especially seeing as how the police department of Ishitohi had not uncovered a single lead that would lead them to break the case. If the Chief was indeed taking bribes, then they would essentially be up against the entire police force of a very large, industrial city. They would have to tread carefully.

"Kitaka?" Sasuke's voice caused him to snap back to the present.

"Hn," the redhead nodded to his team leader.

"We'll have to make certain to say out of the target's sight at all times. As chief of police, he'll have had previous dealings involving ninja. If he is involved with the smuggling… that places us in higher risk," Sasuke fixed each of them with a stern look, "Don't do anything foolish."

They all nodded their understanding; although Kit thought Sainō might vibrate out of his skin with excitement.

"Then move out."

That was all the command they needed. In a blur the three genin vanished, making their way towards the eastern border of Ishitohi.

Kit knew where he was supposed to be headed. As it was early, the Chief was most likely leaving his house and headed for work. Kira would be observing the Chief's house, Kit was to take observation of the Police Headquarters along with Sainō, and Sasuke would be observing from multiple vantage points.

The four-point surveillance was a simple system which would help them to locate the target. Once they had the suspect under surveillance, they would watch the chief of police in pairs. Each pair would rotate out in two hour shifts until they had a good idea what the target's patterns would be. It was a fundamental mission, which would most likely take several weeks before they knew if their target had any involvement.

If they were lucky, the police chief would have some clandestine meeting tonight, and they would be able to wrap this mission up quickly. Kit didn't place much faith in luck, and if any of the targets would be suspicious of being followed, the chief of police would definitely make certain to cover his tracks. Kit expected this mission to last about three weeks to a month, which would allow the three teams to fully determine whether or not the targets were involved in the smuggling ring, and _if_ luck decided to show itself, it might take no longer than a week.

There was little point in dwelling upon the length of the mission, Kit decided as he neared the city. It would only do to focus upon each task as they arose… and speaking of arising, the wall of Ishitohi was quickly coming into view. His first task would be to make it into the city without being noticed, their goal of stealth would be rather quickly defeated if Kit had to register his entry.

His mind kicked into overdrive as he approached the wall without slowing. Kit's emerald eyes narrowed, picking out each and every potential entry point and he finally found his best option. There were sparse trees around the outside of the city, but, in an attempt to approve the city's aesthetic appeal, several tall juniper trees were sprouting up in a patch off to the left of the nearest entry gate. Kit turn is gait towards the trees, leaping as he came near. Using his momentum, the redheaded boy bounced between the trunks, using them as a makeshift stepladder until he was higher than the wall. Once high enough, he propelled himself over the wall. The leap carried him well over the distance, and he landed lightly on the wall top, continuing his momentum on to the nearest roof.

With a quick series of leaps he left the wall behind and headed forward on his task, stealthily as possible. By continuing on the rooftops, he stayed out of eyesight from the pedestrian traffic below; for anyone else that may be looking his way, Kit maintained a high speed and kept mostly to the shadows.

It was took him about twenty minutes to locate the Police Headquarters and establish a vantage point, which he wanted to do before checking in. Once his was well hidden, Kit switched on his ear communicator and spoke into the mouthpiece, "This is Kitaka… in position."

"Understood, Kit," Sasuke's voice confirmed the recognition, "Saino is already in place on the northside. We're waiting for confirmation from Kira."

"This is Kira," a voice came in, "I've located the target. Chief Kaiza just left his house and is headed north, most likely to work."

"Alright," Sasuke was calculating, "Kira, follow him and discover what route he takes and make certain to time it. Saino, Kit… be prepared to watch which entrance he uses, where his office is, and how long it takes him to get there. We'll compare it each morning and find out what causes the time difference. I want reports every half-hour."

"Yes," Kit acknowledged and ended his transmit. With a deep sigh, he settled down into a more comfortably position and prepared himself for the first hour of what could be the next month of his life.


	5. Alleyway Problems: Woman in the Shadows

**Welcome back my few but faithful!**

This is the kind of chapter I have been wanting to get to, and probably what you all have been waint to read: action and the introduction of... dare I say it? PLOT DEVICES! Hooray.

Yes, this is a plot developing chapter, getting us on the roll with some good old fashioned... who's our villain, and what's our crime? Yep. Introduction of a new OC which you will definitely see more of. I won't say any more than that, speculation will be up to you. :)

I'd like to say thank you to all my reviewers, and stress my personal policy as a writer: I do well with feedback. I don't care what kind... it just really helps. It not only gives me an idea of who is reading the story, but it helps me to find out what people like and dislike. PLUS! I respond to every review, I answer every question, and I will be more than willing to talk to you about the story (just don't expect spoilers. :P). This really helps me as a writer because I get to gauge individual reactions to my story.

Also, as promised, I've attempted to draw again. (http: /yaoi. y- gallery. net/view/ 726892/) This is my depiction of Kitaka Uzumaki, middle child of Naruto's three sons. He's the son of Naruto and Gaara (as is probably obvious). Put the link back together by removing the spaces. There is a button at the top left, you will be able to view the full image (so that he doesn't look so small). I'm not responsible for anything on y-gal except my own work... which is clean. Next up will be Fumato.

I big thank you goes out once more to Kreatyve, who gave me a shout out in her newest chapter! So I'm once again returning the favor. Read her story, it's called Let's Play a Love Game (I love it for many reasons, but you should love it for the Gaga reference! Respect the Gaga). On a more serious note, she is a very talented up and coming writer, and you will all enjoy her story. It just gets better the longer it goes on, and she me makes some very nice tweaks to the SasuNaru genre. I have also written a one-shot called Neon Lights and Dance Club Fights, if you want to see a short, completed work by me (also SasuNaru). That's all I have for you, much love!

_**Sarai**_

* * *

**_Naruto: Kurashio_**  
**_Chapter 4 – Undercurrent_**

Police Chief Ranmura Kaiza was a man of habit.

Every morning he awoke, precisely at five-thirty in the morning to drink a cup of coffee. He had a breakfast of eggs and grilled spam, and then he left his house at seven o'clock on the dot. He took the main interstate into downtown Ishitohi, which placed him getting to Police Headquarters at seven thirty-where he would stay until five-thirty in the evening when he returned home by the same route. Once Chief Kaiza was back home in his suburban flat, he would pop in a microwaveable dinner, plop down in front of the television, and watch a series of channels, ranging from news broadcasts to games shows, until it was ten. He would clean up his living area from ten to ten-thirty, get a shower, and be in bed by eleven.

It was like this every day.

For two weeks, Kit had been trailing the portly, balding, Police Chief, who seemed to always smell of spam... something Kit found nauseating. The mission had become a series of following this man's routine without any hint of excitement. The young Uzumaki had become so inundated with boredom, that he'd actually been excited the one time Chief Kaiza had skipped breakfast in favor of stopping to get a doughnut on the way to work.

The doughnut incident had been the single, most exciting event to report for the whole mission. Kit felt they had reached a dead end, something Teams Three and Seven had already admitted. Both Naruto and Kakashi's teams had met with little success concerning their targets. For a city being plagued by illegal weapons, Ishitohi was surprisingly peaceful.

There had not been a single violent outbreak, save for a few gang turf-feuds, all of which had been routinely handled by the police.

Perhaps they'd been chasing a rumor after all.

"What's the update, Kira?" Kitaka called through the head communicator.

"The usual… he's eating breakfast."

"Of course…" Kit mused, "It's six-forty-five."

"And… he just got up. He's out of my vision," she announced.

"Sainō," Kit knew the other boy was watching the opposite side of the house, "Do you have visual."

"Yep!" the boy announced, "He's on the phone."

"Cell or land line?"  
"Um… the one with a cord," Sainō replied sheepishly.  
"Land line…"  
"Right! Land line!" Sainō was probably grinning at himself.

Kitaka couldn't blame him for not knowing about the modern technology. The ninja villages were tentative about allowing such things within their walls. In fact, Konoha was still running on VHS for most of their media entertainment. Naruto had smuggled in a DVD player, but if the Village Council found out about it—they would most likely remove it. Technology, the kind not useful in missions, was generally frowned upon as a distraction.

"That's odd," Kira's voice spoke his own suspicions.

The Police Chief generally never talked on his phone in the mornings. If he did, it was usually on his cell phone... and it was about work. As an added bonus, when the Chief was on a cell phone, the ninjas could easily hijack the signal and listen in to his conversation, boring as they were. With the Chief on a land line, they could only hear what he was saying; the person on the other end of the conversation was completely hidden from them.

"_Yes, I understand my job perfectly_," Kaiza was saying.

While the chief had been at work, Sasuke had slipped into the man's house and bugged each room. They heard everything Chief Kaiza ever did… and Kit had heard _everything_. The redhead doubted he could ever get some of those things out of his memory.

"_We've talked about this… no, I don't mean anything by it_," the police chief sounded frustrated. "_You can't expect me to do this every time someone refuses to pay_."

"I wish I could hear what that other person was saying," Sasuke's voice suddenly entered their communication channel.

Kit was rather surprised; normally Sasuke was out checking other leads or rumors about the smuggling ring at this time.  
"He sounds pressured," Kit offered.

"Yes," Sasuke agreed, "He does. Don't let him out of your sight. I'm going to track down a lead. According to gossip there is another ninja in the city... it's not one of ours."

"Do you need any back-up?" Sainō questioned excitedly.

"No." Sasuke's tone was stern, "Stay on the police chief. If you don't hear from me by noon, contact Naruto or Kakashi."

"Yes, sir," All three of them acknowledged.

There was no further communication from their teacher; so, Kitaka assumed Sasuke had turned off his communicator. Turning his attention back to the police chief, Kit was able to hear the last line of the man's telephone conversation:

"_Alright, I'll meet you a lunch. Just be __**patient**__ until then_."

The conversation ended with that. A few minutes later, the police chief exited his house and got into his car.  
Kit watched in amusement, "_Exactly seven o'clock_."

"Well then…" Kira said, "Looks like we have an appointment to spy on."

"Yes," Kit agreed, "We do."

"Can we get food first?" Sainō whined through the communicator. For some reason, Kit found this more annoying than in person—probably because Kira couldn't hit the kid for it.

"Kira and I will keep the chief under surveillance," Kit gave in. It was better than listening to complaints all morning, "You go pick-up something for us all to eat."

Sainō gave an exclamation of joy and several long sentences of gratitude, but Kitaka was already on the move-his mind elsewhere. The Chief was nervous about something, which could be attributed to any number of reasons. Kit found himself hoping for excitement nonetheless.

[…]

"Well… our guy is a bust," Chino exclaimed, plopping down at a food stall, quickly followed by Naruto.

Their blond teacher only grinned, "Well that only means we get to go home sooner! Oy! Four bowls of ramen!" The chef looked at Naruto with a bright smile. The old ramen cook's eyes sparkled with the twinkle of seeing only one thing: money.

"Oh… senpai! You're buying us lunch?" Hana asked excitedly, taking the seat next to Naruto.

"What?" the man looked at her incredulously, "Are you insane… those are for me."

"Senpai, don't be selfish!"

Jira strode into the stall at that moment, "Our guy just got on a plane… he won't be back in the country for at least a week."

"Jira! Tell him that we need food too!" Chino looked at their blond team member with pleading eyes.

The eldest Uzumaki ignored his hungry teammate and went to sit next to Hana, only he found, not one—but three, pleading looks. Hana and her two pets were giving him the biggest, sorrowful eyes they could muster. Jira snorted, caught between hilarity and an overload of cuteness.

"Don't laugh at me!"

"Sorry," Jira chuckled, "But that was too funny…"

Hana sighed and threw herself down on the bar, "I fail as a woman!"

"Aww… come on, Hana," Naruto said cheerfully as he began to noisily slurp up the first bowl of ramen.

"It's true, Senpai! What kind of woman am I, if I can't get a man to buy me a bowl of ramen?" Hana turned sad eyes upon blond teacher.

Naruto almost wanted to react the same was as Jira, like father-like son apparently, but he resisted for fear of actually upsetting the girl. "Ne… Hana! Enough with the attempted manipulation. Here!" He slid a bowl of ramen her way, much to Chino's cries of protest.

Naruto was about to tuck into his mouthwatering food once more, when his communicator suddenly went of, startling him.

"Naruto."

The blond jumped at the sudden noise, nearly falling off his seat—which would have landed him with a bowl of ramen in his lap. Thankfully, his ninja reflexes allowed him to maintain balance.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whined, "You almost made me spill my ramen!"

"You don't have time for ramen," the raven's voice was strained, "I'm chasing a lead and I need back up. There's a rogue ninja in the western industrial district."

"Ne, Teme! If this is just a ruse to get me alone…"

"You wouldn't complain," Sasuke countered.

"Too true, too true…" Naruto muttered, not wanting his students to hear the admission.

"Hurry!" Sasuke urged.

"Ugh! Fine!" Naruto pushed away from the bar, finishing his bowl of ramen in almost a single gulp. He slid one of the remaining bowls to Jira and Chino, "Eat up! Don't you dare let my ramen go to waste!"

"Wait, dad!" Jira called out before Naruto could vanish from the scene, "What's going on?"

"Sasuke's found a lead… it may end up as nothing, but he wants back-up," Naruto gave him a wink, "You're in charge while I'm gone… don't do anything I wouldn't do."

The blond paused at this, "On second thought… don't do anything you _think_ I might do either." He quickly gave Jira a hug, and then Naruto vanished out of the ramen stall in the blink of an eye. It was so quick that Jira barely caught the blur of color from Naruto's jonin outfit.

[…]

"You think everything is alright?" Hana asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"It's dad and Sasuke…" Jira said calmly, "They're fine."

"Jira's right," Chino said, grinning happily at his free bowl of ramen, "There isn't a registered ninja in all of the five villages who could take both of them on… unless it was one of the Kages, and I _doubt_ one of them is running around here."

Hana nodded in agreement, still not relieved. Ying and Yang both patted her shoulders sympathetically, to which she smiled. "I guess you both have a point…"

Jira nodded and turned to his own bowl of ramen. The three teammates ate in silence, wondering what they were going to do to occupy the rest of their day, when the ramen chef suddenly appeared holding a piece of paper.

"So…" the old man looked at each of them, light glinting from his large, coke-bottle glasses, "Which of you is paying the bill?"

Hana could feel her jaw drop in dismay. Their irresponsible teacher had forgotten to pay his own bill. Hana's stomach twisted as she looked at the price of their meal in horror, "Three thousand yen? I didn't bring that much!"

"I spent my money on food days ago," Chino said guiltily.

Jira only glared down at the seat where Naruto had sat just moments again.

"_Well then_," Hana thought to herself, "_Looks like we are washing dishes for the rest of the day_."

[…]

"A café?" Kira asked. She was crouched next to Kitaka on a rooftop, watching the police chief as he had a cup of coffee with a woman.

"Not a very _suspicious _meeting place," Kit mumbled.

The woman was the Chief of Police's ex-wife; they'd witnessed her entering Police Headquarters several times. She was a frightening woman… with bleached hair, nearly orange skin from a bad fake tan, and large lips that looked as if they could swallow a man's head… which she was currently trying to do, if her yelling was any indication.

From what they could gather, Chief Kaiza had been late paying his spousal support… whatever that was. This woman was now yelling at him in public, calling him a lazy degenerate.

"_She's got that part right_," Kit smirked.

After about thirty minutes, Kaiza pulled out some money and handed it to his ex-wife. The wanna-be Barbie then got into a taxi and left, leaving the police with his cup of coffee.

"It doesn't make sense," Kira said.

"What doesn't?"

Kira pointed to the police chief, "He's relaxed. During his phone conversation he'd been nervous, and he should have even been more so during his meeting."

The redhead thought about this, "You have a point."

"Plus, the way he talked on the phone made it sound detached," Kira shrugged, "Ex-wives are kinda personal."

"I think you may really have a point."

"Of course I do," Kira objected.

"No, look," Kit pointed at the police chief. The man had gotten up, completely left his coffee untouched, and headed on foot towards the industrial district.

"Sainō, he's headed in your direction. Kira and I will go around to get a better vantage point; make sure you don't lose sight of him."

"Will do," was the energetic response.

[...]

They had followed the police chief for almost a mile before the target made a turn, toward a section of warehouses and old, abandoned apartment buildings. The three genin kept to the rooftops, hiding behind ledges and short walls where they could. Finally, they saw what Chief Kaiza was looking for—a group of people at the end of an alleyway.

Kit recognized several of the people, or at least he knew what they were from. They were all members of _Hi-ken_, the largest gang in Ishitohi. Members of the "fire fist", as they were called, were known for dealing narcotics and were abnormally violent. One member in particular stood out to Kitaka, because he recognized him from the briefing.

"That's Royo Haisuru," Kit whispered, pointing towards the man who was standing at the head of the small group, "He's the leader of Hi-ken."

Apparently the gang members had been expecting the police chief, because Royo turned and grinned at Chief Kaiza, offering a greeting. Whatever words they exchanged, Kitaka couldn't make them out; they were too high for a good listening vantage, and the people below weren't talking very loud. All they had were visuals.

Royo Haisuru was dressed in a business suit; he could have been a legitimate businessman except for the glaring fact that his suit was the color of fire. The cuffs of his jacket were even embroidered with dark, flame-like patterns. He looked like the kind of man who would make deals, but, in the end, he would be the only person to profit from them. Kitaka could tell this man was bad news.

"Wasn't Team seven supposed to be following him?" Kira asked.

"Yeah," Kit frowned, "Which makes me worried. We need to hear what they are saying."

"What about down there?" Sainō pointed to a small, two-story warehouse with all of its windows busted out. They could get inside easily, and it would offer them a closer viewpoint of the alley where the meeting was going down.

Kit decided it would be safer for them to go the long way around; they might miss a short part of the conversation, but they would be less likely to be spotted. It took a few minutes to make their way into the warehouse, but as they eased closer to a window ledge, Kit could hear the gang leader speaking.

"Be patient, Kaiza, our guest will be here shortly and then we can both ask our questions."

"You weren't supposed to be here, Haisuru," the police chief growled.

"Kaiza, you wound me… who did you think you were protecting? I buy the guns from your contact, you protect the contact… essentially you protect _me_. It's how these things work," Royo said. The gang leader's voice was sickeningly patronizing, and Kit could only imagine how the man's tone was affecting the police chief.

"I'm not protecting anyone…" the Chief countered.

From their observations, Kit had found Chief Kaiza to be an honest… if not lazy man. He took his job seriously, and he took a firm hand to crime. Therefore, finding the police chief in an alleyway full of gang members and illegal weapons, Kit admitted himself confused by Chief Kaiza's motives. Yes, he had wanted action… but now that he was getting it, Kitaka wasn't so sure he liked the direction it was taking.

"Kira, contact Sasuke. Let him know where we are and what's going—" Kit's words were cut off by the appearance of another person in the alley.

"Of course you are protecting someone," the strange voice seemed to echo around the alley, even up in the warehouse where the genin were hiding.

The voice was followed by a woman, who stepped out of she shadowed crook between two buildings. Like everyone else at the gathering, Kitaka found himself entranced by this new entity.

She was tall for a female, probably six feet, with long, black hair which hung about her shoulders in large feather-like tresses. The woman was dressed in what looked to be the top half of a shinobi battle suit—thin, black-leather pieces woven together for mobility and protection. The battle suit seemed to be worn over a wispy, silver dress which reminded Kitaka of moonlight and fog; the fabric slowly waved as the woman walked up to the gathering, ending just at the woman's ankles.

"I don't know what you mean?" Chief Kiaza eyed the woman warily.

"Of course you do," She said blandly, "You work for me or I kill people you care about. You do what I tell you to protect them. Simple enough?"

The woman came to a stop, crossing her arms. One of her legs was easily visible through a thigh-high split in her dress, and Kitaka noticed how odd the woman's skin was—pale as the driven snow, but it wasn't sickly looking. It appeared healthy… perfect even. He'd never seen someone so pale look so... beautiful.

"I like this woman," Royo laughed, turning to his gang members—each of them chuckling in turn.

"You'll like me much less if you don't pay for the weapons you were given," she turned to the red-clad gangster, and Kit got a good look at her for the first time. She had startling blue eyes like his father, but, unlike Naruto, this woman's eyes were cold, harsh. Kit felt he would catch a chill if he was to look into them directly… but her eyes weren't even the most startling thing about her appearance. Around her neck, rather than jewelry, the woman wore a black, headband from a ninja village; Kit would have recognized the design anywhere. The problem was he couldn't recognize the village's symbol. The metal plate of the headband only had a single marking: a large, black dot.

"She's a ninja?" Kira whispered quietly, "The one sensei was talking about?"

Kit quietly prayed to whatever deities might be listening; he prayed that this woman wasn't what she appeared to be… otherwise they might very well be in over their heads.

"Well, I'd love to pay a pretty lady such as yourself," Royo continued, "But… times are hard in this town. Turf makes money, and we need weapons to gain more turf. So consider the weapons an investment toward the future."

"Do you have a second in command?" the woman asked quietly.

Royo looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Of course." With a jerk of his thumb the gang leader pointed to a burly man behind him.

"Good."

The next movement was faster than any of the genin could track. One minute Royo was standing there with a smirk firmly planeted on his lips, and the next minute he was clutching his throat as blood spilled out around his fingers.

The unknown kunoichi was standing over the gangster, her hand held out to the side, stiff and blade-like. Kitaka could see traces of blood glistening on her fingernails, except… they weren't fingernails. The woman had somehow replaced her nails with sharp, thin pieces of black iron—lethal and deadly.

"You, the second," the woman addressed the large brute, "You're now in charge. Are you going to pay your suppliers… or do you want to end up like your former boss?" She kicked the dying Royo onto his back for added emphasis; the man sputtered, twitched once, and then lay still.

Chief Kaiza was watching the scene in horror, "You…"

"Now, Kaiza," the woman looked at him threateningly, "The world isn't going to miss one degenerate scumbag… there are a thousand others prepared to take his place. Isn't that right, boys?" She flashed the retreating gangsters a demonic grin.

"This is over, Cala," the police chief shouted, just as sirens could be heard in the distance.

The woman's face fell as she heard the sound, turning on the Chief with a look that could have halted light in its tracks, "You've just made a very big mistake…"

Kit was completely caught up in watching the scene playing out before him, so engrossed, that he almost leapt out of his skin when Kira's hand touched his shoulder.

"What are we gonna do, Kit?" she whispered urgently.

"I told you," the redhead hissed back, "Call Sasuke!"

"Uh… guys," Sainō was pointing towards the gathered assembly.

Apparently, in their panic, Kira and Kit had failed to duck behind the wall; therefore the attention of the entire alleyway was now focused upon their window. The woman down below locked her eyes upon Kit, and his blood froze.

"Genin…" the woman frowned, "You've brought more trouble than your worth, Kaiza. I'll leave you to sort it out."

Faster than any jutsu Kit had seen performed, the woman pointed a single hand at their window and made two signs, ending with her middle and index finger pointed at the window. Kit had never seen single-handed signs before, and he didn't get much time to marvel at the occurrence. There was a roar of sound, mere moments before a brilliant bolt of white lightning erupted from the ends of the woman's fingers.

"Get down!" Kit screamed, throwing himself backwards as the screaming energy rushed over head. The entire warehouse seemed to explode with white light, energy arcing and crackling over metal banisters and beams. He could feel his hair stand on end, and his entire body felt live wired. Rolling to the side, Kit was on his feet with a kunai drawn, rushing to the window to assess their predicament.

He was met with a barrage of gunfire; police officers and gangsters were present in the alley now, firing at one another. While the cops and hoods were content to kill one another, both parties seemed fairly interested in making certain that the ninja were pinned down.

"Kit!"

"Over here, Kira," he shouted, "Get to cover!" She appeared next to him in a second, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright," He asked. Her hair was wilder than ever, sticking up in odd places and spiking out in others. It was humorous to think that someone might actually pay for their hair to look such a manner, but Kit didn't have time for humor at the moment,

"I'm fine… where's Sainō?"

"I'm here!" their other teammate called from somewhere in the warehouse.

"Watch the entrance!" Kit shouted to him.

"Where is she?" Kira's eyes were wide, frightened even, and Kita couldn't blame her.

Kit stuck his head up to get another view of the scene below and was immediately hit in the face by a stray bullet. His head snapped back, and he heard Kira scream.

"Ow…" Kit frowned, ducking below the wall again.

Kira watched in horrified fascination as the bullet fell away from Kitaka's face, followed by a few grains of sand, "How… are you?"

"I'm fine," Kit said, rubbing his face where the bullet had struck him, "But I can't do anything from up here!" He growled in frustration, looking about for anything which would help them escape the firefight below. Everything around them was metal and steel—no earth. Kitaka had taken after his father when it came to jutsu specialty… if he was around rock, dirt, or sand… he was pretty much safe from harm; but in this iron jungle he felt helpless.

Yes, he had a last line of defense, which had saved him from the bullet, but Gaara's sand armor technique could only protect him for so long without another option readily available. Admittedly, Kit hadn't perfected the technique, and it had been taught to him by Naruto, whose own knowledge of earth style jutsu was limited. Most of the finer points Kitaka had needed to figure out for himself, and he really didn't want to put them to a test as deadly as the one below.

"Did you see her?"

Kit shook his head, "No sign… she vanished."

There was a loud crash of something slamming against metal.

"Holy Crap!"

Kit turned in time to see a cloud of smoke, which then revealed an pair of struggling Sainō, the real on and a clone, who were placing all of their might against the entry door to the warehouse, "Guys! We have company!" The boy struggled to keep the door closed as something slammed into it yet again. For a twelve year old, Sainō had incredible physical strength, something Naruto claimed was due to the boy's genetics, but even with the extra strength-no twelve year old was going to hold back a group of full grown men for long.

Kitaka was just thankful the metal door prevented bullets from going through its surface… Sainō wasn't bulletproof and neither was Kira.

"Did you get Sasuke?"

"No…" Kira said frantically, "Nothing will go through! What's our plan?"

Looking around once again, Kitaka couldn't form a plan. There were no other exits from inside this room, and even if he could get out the window and make it safely to the roof, the others would be torn down by gunfire. Kit knew he couldn't distract all of the gunmen. He didn't have a plan…

Pressing his communicator, Kitaka decided to try another channel, "Jira! Jira, this is Kit! Can you hear me? I need help!"

He was answered by nothing but a high pitched static-the sound of malfunctioning electronics. With a horrified look, Kitaka turned to his female teammate, "The communicator is short circuited…"

Realization dawned in Kira's eyes, "Oh no… the others don't know we're here."


	6. Corner Blind: The Chase Begins

**Hello! And welcome to chapter 5!**

Disclaimer: I attempted to hire a thief to steal the rights for Naruto. He was caught, shot, and made an example of. I don't recommend trying that route again. Naruto and his friends still belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Naruto's children, on the other hand, they are all mine. _**:)**_

It would appear that things are happening in threes. It took me three chapters to complete the "Mission Preparation" stage (where I introduced everyone important for the time being), and now it looks as if the mission itself is going to need three chapters. I wanted to finish it up with this chapter; however, Fumato threw a wrench in my plans. You'll see what I mean later, but it offered me a very interesting perspective on my villain. I couldn't ignore it... thus, not only do you end up with some more action next chapter, but you get some first person perspective! (I hate writing first person, by the way, it's very difficult to keep interesting).

This chapter is pretty much ALL action. I hope you enjoy it, because I did my best to make it interesting and easy to follow.

It was brought to my attention by a reader that they wanted to know the name of the ninja in the alley, the woman. Well, I did throw her name in the last chapter. It's the only time it is going to be mentioned until chapter six... so yeah. It's there, but I didn't give it a real announcement. Besides it doesn't really matter because her "formal introduction" will be much more exciting!

I don't have a picture for you this time (sorry!) because I'm currently in the process of moving. I'm lucky that I still have time to write as much as I am. As always, I reply to all reviews, and I'll return a review if you want me to do so. That's all I have for you, hope you like it, and I'll see you next time.

_**~Sarai**_

* * *

_**Naruto: Kurashio**_  
_**Chapter 5 – Riptide**_

_We have a saying where I come from:_

"_The dead do not disappoint…"_

_I don't think anyone even remembers where the saying originated, but I would love to take credit for it. It's a macabre way of looking at the world… saying we build the dead up with memories and idealization, creating a false sense of their worth, their accomplishments, or their evils… We attach such reverence and respect or fear to the dead; how is it possible for them to let us down? They cannot… they are dead._

"_The dead do not disappoint."_

_No, I'm afraid that singular honor belongs to the living. When held up to the ideals of the past, all too often, the living fall short of expectations. They cannot help but fail. Mortality is an unbalanced coil, leaning at the slightest winds of change… but eventually life does end, giving way to the impregnable certainty which is death._

_Mortality is like a candle—bright and fragrant in the beginning, turning into a sputtering mess at the end. The only difference between one life and another is the measure of time._

_True, some mortals burn brightly… remembered for their deeds as heroes and not for their failures which made them human. These candles stand out among the throng, often burning themselves out before their time. Others, the more devious, attempt to prolong their lives. They burn dimly, barely noticeable; they try to draw out their lifetime to an eternity… for immortality._

_It is futile._

_All candles will burn out, and when they do… darkness settles into the void left behind. Another candle is lit; the cycle continues. The light is carried on by those around it. As more and more people die, candles burned out, the fond memories fade with them until all that remains are the most glaring reminders. _

"_The dead… do not disappoint."_

[…]

Naruto had always thought himself to be fast. Admittedly, as a child, his skills had been nothing to speak of, but he had grown quite confident in his abilities at his current age. The blond knew he was one of the most capable ninja Konoha had to offer, and he didn't rest on his laurels either. Naruto was constantly trying to make himself stronger.

So he was surprised at how swift their current quarry was.

The rogue ninja, or whoever this was, had managed to stay out of his and Sasuke's sight for the better part of an hour. They hadn't lost her, at least Naruto assumed it was a woman from the long hair, but they hadn't been able to gain a descent visual, much less to try and apprehend the person.

The blond noticed the distance between himself and the fleeing ninja begin to decrease; he was gaining on her. In a blur, the unknown kunoichi spun about, and there was the unmistakable trill of a kunai flying through the air. Naruto twisted mid-run, dodging the projectile and catching the weapon as it passed. He threw the weapon back at its owner with practiced dexterity, but the woman countered with a second kunai. The counter-weapon was thrown with such precision that Naruto's attack was diverted toward Sasuke, while the second Kunai came whistling for his chest.

Naruto and Sasuke split, dodging the weapons but allowing their target to get even further ahead.

Memories of his first day as a genin kept popping into Naruto's mind. He was reminded of trying futilely to grab a bell which was attached to Kakashi's waist. He had been twelve at the time, so it was understandable why he'd been unable to complete the task… but as an adult? Naruto felt a challenge for the first time in many years, and he was excited.

"We need to come at her from different angles," Sasuke's voice came through the communication channel. "As long as we stick together, she'll be able to avoid us too easily."

"It's dangerous to split up against an unknown ninja," Naruto cautioned.

"Come on, Dobe," Sasuke chided, "This is me you're talking to… or are you afraid I won't be there to protect you?"

"Ha! You wish," Naruto grinned, "Take her from the west. I'll keep her busy."

As if thinking with one mind, Sasuke dropped back a pace just as Naruto exploded into a group of clones. In the confusion of the Shadow Clone jutsu, one of Naruto's clones took on Sasuke's appearance. This would allow Sasuke to gain a different attack vector without alerting their prey to his absence.

Naruto, the Sasuke duplicate, and four other clones spread out attempting to surround the fleeing woman; however, she seemed to anticipate his movements. The ninja angled her retreat up the spire of a church, landing atop the steeple. As she touched down on the golden crucifix, Naruto could see her fingers laced with Kunai.

The ninja woman let eight of the projectiles fly, at least one headed for each of Naruto's clones and himself. It was an easy enough attack to dodge, or it had been... before the rogue ninja above him perform several familiar jutsu signs.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" Naruto was confused for only a moment, at least until those eight kunai suddenly exploded into a hundred.

The blond lost sight of which weapons were the real thing and which ones were clones, not that it really mattered. "Shadow Clone Jutsu" created actual, physical manifestations. There was no way he could destroy all of the "clone" kunai. In the amount of time he had… Naruto could protect himself, but then the ruse would be lost, or he could dodge. Taking the lesser of two evils, Naruto allowed his clones to be slaughtered, each of them exploding into smoke, while he used his concentration to get himself and the Sasuke clone out of harms way.

The female ninja fully took advantage of his defensive effort, back-flipping off the steeple and dashing away once again.

Naruto wanted to be frustrated by the turn of events, but he couldn't force himself into such a mood. This chase was exhilarating for him, full of surprises at each turn. They were deadly surprises, such as her last attack, but surprises nonetheless. Naruto had been using the same Shadow Clone technique for years, but he had never thought about applying it to his weapon. She'd given him something new to practice back in Konoha. As he pushed forward, attempting to use the Sasuke clone to come at the woman from both sides, Naruto wondered what other tricks she had up her sleeve to avoid detainment.

Before he could get an answer to his question, the real Sasuke appeared out of nowhere, slamming into the woman from her flank. For a moment they had her completely by surprise, but before Naruto could even catch up to the pair of grappling shinobi, the woman execute a flawless taijutsu counter which sent Sasuke flying backwards into the side of a nearby building. Naruto hadn't seen taijutsu like that since sparring with Rock Lee, and no one had handled Sasuke so easily… not since they were kids.

He was on the woman in an instant, fully expecting to engage this mysterious foe like Sasuke had moments before, but she obviously had different ideas. Rather than continue fleeing across the rooftops, the female ninja took a step backward, off the rooftop, and dropped down into an alleyway. Naruto's momentum took him sailing directly over her, and he had to come skidding to a stop to redirect pursuit.

"Did you get a good look at her," Sasuke's voice barraged his ear.

"No," Naruto shouted, dropping down to street level to continue pursuit, "I wasn't the one she punched in the face."

"I didn't get punched in the face," Sasuke snapped.

Naruto chuckled, "Looked like it from where I was standing."

"The bitch threw me into a wall," Sasuke countered, "I didn't get a chance to see her face on the account of trying to _dodge_ said fist."

"She's fast."

Sasuke seemed to share Naruto's mirth, "Yes… she is indeed."

Just up ahead the woman took a sharp turn around a corner, vanishing around the wall at the end of the alleyway. Pouring on extra speed, Naruto could feel the wind whipping his hair wildly as he took the same corner.

The street ahead was completely empty.

There was no way she could have taken to the rooftops again so quickly, and he wasn't far enough behind for her to reach the end of the next alley. So where had she gone? His question was answered by the cold prick of metal against his throat.

"I think we've played this game long enough…" a cold, sultry voice spoke a hair's breadth away from Naruto's ear.

He felt whatever was pressed against his throat break skin and the warm path of blood, trickling down his neck from the wound. "I agree," Naruto smirked, happily using the woman's voice to target her position without using his eyes.

Rather than try and fight out of her grip, Naruto stepped backwards into his foe, slamming an elbow into her chest. The attack was blocked, but the weapon at his throat was also removed so its owner could defend. Naruto quickly blocked a retaliatory strike, putting distance between them in order to assess the situation.

The female shinobi was a blur of motion, managing to stay just beyond Naruto's field of vision. She struck twice, and Naruto didn't dodge fast enough. He felt pain as two fresh lacerations appeared on his upper right arm and left calf. If he didn't start taking this seriously, Naruto determined that he could end up in actual danger very soon.

From the corner of his eye, the blond caught the hint of movement from a third attack. Naruto ducked under it and struck out with retaliation of his own. His fist struck the opponent in the chest, but she was nimble and leapt backwards, effectively decreasing the force of his strike.

"Not bad," the woman whispered from the shadows. Her entire form was covered by darkness, but she also had nowhere else to go. She'd effectively trapped herself.

"You alright, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's attention was drawn to a fire escape above his head where Kakashi was crouching, watching the scene with concerned amusement. The silver haired jonin had his headband up, and he was watching the woman cloaked in shadows very carefully. Naruto could tell she was watching the gray-haired copy-nin just as closely.

Sasuke appeared moments later, landing next to Naruto with several kunai in one hand and his sword drawn in the other. If their former teacher's presence shocked him, the raven didn't let it show, "Kakashi… what brings you here?"

"Strange story actually…" his former teacher mused, his never once leaving the shadows, "I was following a ninja who dropped into this alleyway."

"What?" Naruto shouted in surprise, "There are two of them?"

Kakashi didn't speak; rather he just shook his head for a negative. That was all the time they were given before their shadowy foe launched her attack. From with in the shadows, three forms burst out—one headed for each of the gathered jonin. It was over in a flash as each Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi retaliated, striking out with their weapons.

Blade, kunai, and fist struck heavily against body, before they went completely through. The three men stood there as they watched something horrifying yet fascinating at the same time. The three bodies which had attack them were dissolving, melting away into darkness which crawled back into the shadows of various recesses, alcoves, and buildings.

"Clones?" Sasuke asked, immediately back on guard.

"Shadow clones," Kakashi confirmed, "Perfectly executed for distraction. Our target has used it to escape."

Naruto was standing over the clone which he had attacked. He had punched it directly in the face with every ounce of his strength. Now there was little left of it, save for a few tendrils of darkness which had yet to leak back to their homes… but, before the clone had been destroyed, Naruto could have sworn he'd saw a pair of ice blue eyes staring at him... laughing with excitement. They'd seemed so real, the impact of his fist against the soft, pale skin had felt real…

"Those weren't like my clones," the blond said quietly.

Kakashi thought about this, "No. Come to think of it… I haven't seen clones like this before."

"Did either of you get a good look at her?" Sasuke growled, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Nope," Kakashi said in good spirits, "The clones were meant to be destroyed. I don't even think she fully formed them."

"Blue eyes," Naruto said thoughtfully. "She had blue eyes…"

Sasuke looked concerned for a moment, but Naruto couldn't tell exactly why. "Unfortunately, that doesn't help us," the raven said bitterly.

"No," Kakashi agreed, "But why were the two of you chasing after her?"

"I traced a land line call to a public phone," Sasuke explained, "When I arrived there was no one in the terminal, but a pedestrian pointed out someone in the crowd. She took off when I approached her. When I saw how capable this ninja was, I called Naruto for backup. What about you?"

"She was tailing our target," Kakashi shrugged, "When I attempted to get the drop on her, she fled…"

"They weren't the real person," Naruto suddenly said. The blond had been thinking over and over again about the chase, how everything had ended up in the alley. He'd gotten no outstanding chakra reading from the person they were pursuing. "We were chasing clones…"

Kakashi's face fell as he considered this, "Yes… that would make sense."

"Two clones came into the alley," Naruto continued, "We didn't think about it because there was an actual chakra signature hiding in the shadows… and we didn't suspect clones because we'd all followed what we _assumed_ to be a real person. The real chakra signature covered up the fact that two clones had converged on a single area. The actual ninja had been waiting here all along…"

"And when the three clones attacked, the ninja suppressed her chakra and got away," Sasuke said with realization. He brought a hand up into his hair, gripping the dark locks in frustration. "Why? Why lead the three of us here?"

Naruto wondered the same. What had been the point? In most cases shinobi were vastly more powerful than their creations, and the woman's clone had given them quite a runaround. If she could have put up a fight, why had she lured them here?

"Distraction…" Kakashi said the word for the second time, "If she was part of the weapon smuggling…"

Sasuke supplied the rest, "She wouldn't have wanted three jonin available to interfere."

With a quick look to his watch, Sasuke saw that it was just after noon. Team 5 would be following the police chief to his meeting, and Sasuke had promised to check in. The raven's hand shot up to the communicator in his ear, "Kit! Give me a status update."

His answer was nothing but static.

"Kira? Sainō?" he checked, in case Kit's communicator was failing—still nothing but static.

Anxiously he looked up to Kakashi, "What were your kids doing?"

"Following the gang leader," Kakashi said blandly. The gray haired man flipped on his communicator and spoke, "Fuma, come in. What's the target's location?" This time even the experienced jonin expressed some surprise, and they could all here the loud shrill of the static that answered. "Ame, I need an answer... Gemma, do you hear me?" Nothing but static played over the channel for Team 7.

A second team was not in contact.

Naruto did his best to push his anxiety aside. He couldn't focus on the fact that two of his children could be anywhere; he couldn't think about them coming to harm. The blond had to focus on one certainty: he knew where his team would be. He'd purposefully skipped out on the ramen bill, assuring that they wouldn't be able to leave the restaurant until well into the evening… or he returned to pay. This was enough to silence the raging bout of disquiet that threatened his mind.

Bringing a steady hand to his communicator, Naruto turned it on. He'd only need to say one word to get confirmation. "Jira…"

[…]

The eldest Uzumaki child was currently up to his elbows in latex gloves and soap suds as he washed what seemed like the thousandth bowl. Why so many people felt _this_ ramen shop was worth patronizing, the boy would never understand, but countless customers had come and gone… and he was still here washing dishes. His job was the curse of luck. Hana, because she was a girl, had gotten stuck waiting on the customers; while, Chino was out holding signs and shouting for publicity because of his hunger complaints… the old man hadn't wanted Chino in the back because he feared for his precious storerooms. If Chino was left unattended, no telling how much he might eat… which would only keep them here longer.

That left Jira with the unfortunate position of being the tallest and the only one left. He could easily reach into the deep sink without a stool, and he looked the most reliable with his hands—which, in the old man's eyes, meant he wouldn't break a bowl.

In theory, this was all working out… of course the old man hadn't taken into account that Hana's squirrels were the ones drying the dishes. For the most part they were excellent workers, except when one of them seemingly insulted the other for no apparent reason… this is when they would start fighting. Each fight ended up with several pieces of dinnerware launched into the air, which Jira had to hectically lunge for to keep them from breaking.

He wasn't always successful, but thankfully the old man was too busy outside to bother checking the back. Each broken dish was only answered with a shout of, "That's another hour!" Cumulatively, Jira had been allotted three extra hours of washing dishware thanks to Hana's pets. He'd be making certain she was back here for each and every second of those hours.

"…ra!"

The blond stopped the circling motion he was making with a sponge and bowl and listened. He was certain his communicator had made a sound, but when nothing came through… not even static, Jira shrugged and went back to work.

"Jira…"

That time he definitely heard something. Faster than he'd been moving for the past hour, Jira whipped his gloves off and pressed the PTT button on his communicator, "Sir!"

Naruto's voice came through loud and clear, obviously concerned, "Where are you?"

"In the restaurant kitchen…" the boy said with irritation, "You forgot to pay the bill. Sorry I didn't answer a moment ago, I think my headset is acting up."

"I didn't try to contact you before this," Naruto was obviously sounding worried now. "Have you heard from your brothers?"

"No…" Jira said tentatively, "Dad, what's going on?"

"There isn't any time to explain," Naruto said hurriedly, "Kakashi, Sasuke, and I are too far away from there. I need you to find your brothers… take Hana, and Chino. Leave now!"

"But the bill…"

"Now!" Naruto shouted.

His father never raised his voice unless it was something dire, and normally those circumstances involved Jira, Kit, or Fuma in some sort of dangerous situation. The last time Jira could remember Naruto yelling, Kit had been practicing, using kunai without permission. His younger brother had cut an artery and almost died. Naruto had never looked so worried, and, once Tsunade had patched Kitaka up, their dad had yelled for a good ten minutes. That had been about three years ago…

Jira had learned that you didn't question Naruto when he yelled; it wasn't something good for your health, and he normally had a good reason for it. "Leaving now," he reassured his dad, ending the communication.

He was out the door of the kitchen, grabbing Hana as he practically flew toward the exit.

"Hey!" she protested, "What gives?"

"Grab Chino and follow," Jira ordered, his tone doing a very good job of mimicking Sasuke and his "ask no questions" attitude.

It must have worked because Hana nodded and dashed away to grab the cheerfully shouting boy. Jira didn't both to watch her, rather he turned to face towards the direction of Police Headquarters, where Kit should have been. "Byakugan!" he shouted, holding his hands out before him. Immediately he could feel the rush of chakra to his optical nerves, he knew the skill had presented itself visibly with several prominent pathways raising the skin about his eyes, looking like engorged veins. Several of the pedestrians around him let out gasps and murmurs, but they weren't worth worrying about.

Jira had never used the Byakugan to search more than about a thousand meters before, and he wasn't quite sure if he'd be able to cover a larger distance… but he was going to try. Buildings and streets rushed through his field of vision, but he saw no sign of any trouble or his brothers. He did catch sight of a police vehicle with flashing lights. It was headed towards a downtown warehouse district, swiftly followed by another.

That was a good enough indication of trouble, and it would be a decent place to start.

"What are we doing?" Chino came running towards him with Hana quickly behind.

"This way!" Jira took off without even waiting, expecting them to follow. If Naruto was worried; they had little time to waste… and, if Kit and Fuma were in trouble… Jira didn't even want to think of the consequences should something happen to his younger siblings. All he knew was that he had to find Kit… and Fuma. Find them and make certain they were safe.

[…]

"I don't think… I can hold them anymore!" Sainō shouted. Another crash against the door almost knocked the boy off his feet.

Kit eyed the door warily. Their situation was growing dire... Below, more and more people were pouring into the alley. If it continued, the city could end up with a full blown gang/police war. The sound of bullets flying had intensified, and both sides were starting to make clear lines. Kit knew if they didn't make it out quickly, then they weren't going to make it out at all.

Bam!

There was another crash of metal against metal. Kit guessed they would knock past Sainō in another two attempts… three if they were lucky. Once those men on the other side made it through, Kira and Sainō would be caught in bullet fire, and Kit would most likely follow. He could escape now, but that would involve leaving his teammates behind. As frightened as he was, Kit couldn't bring himself to even contemplate such a thing.

That left only one option.

"Kira get further into the warehouse!" he directed, turning to Sainō. The brown haired boy looked at him, clearly worried. "Listen… when I tell you, run! Don't look back, just run and find Kira. Hide there until you see an opening to get out."

"But, what about you?"

"I can take a few hits!" Kitaka shouted, "Just trust me." The brunette looked as if he wanted to argue, but thinking it through he just nodded.

Bam!

The door shuddered again, throwing Sainō clear.

"Run, now!" Kit said, drawing another kunai for his free hand. He dropped low into a defensive position and raised his weapons at the ready. Sainō's clone disappeared as he rushed off into the darkness of the buildy, out of Kit's sight and hopefully that of whomever lay beyond the door. Kit's eyes never left the door, and fear threatened to turn his legs to gelatin. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves and his gaze upon the enevitable...

Bam!

There was a loud crash as the door slammed inward. Kit didn't even waste time aiming. The moment he saw light, the redhead sent both kunai flying through the newly created space. He was rewarded by screams and shouts to "take cover", but he didn't want to stay out in the open.

Kit dashed to the side, away from the direction of his teammates and out of the line-of-sight for the door, drawing himself flat against the wall. He was covered mostly by shadows, hoping to get the drop on their attackers.

Several armed police officers soon came rushing through the door with clear, plastic riot-shields covering their fronts. Luckily for Kit, they rush headlong, not looking at their flanks.

Taking advantage of their haste, the boy lunged. He caught the nearest one in the spine with a well aimed kunai, watching as the man dropped. It happened in slow, horrific motion. Blood appeared around the wound and the man hit the floor limp, as if there wasn't a single bone in his body. Kit hadn't seen death so close… it was fascinating and appalling at the same time. He almost froze from the sight of it.

"Ninja!" one of the officers shouted, "Shoot to kill!"

The words snapped Kit out of his trance, and he dodged to the right just as a stream of bullets pepper the wall behind him. His next movement dashed between the two men, placing him at their backs. Kit quickly drew another pair of kunai, and, with two quick taijutsu strikes, he hamstringed the pair of attackers. They fell to the floor—neutralized but not dead—moaning and crying out for help.

A swift pain in his shoulder spun Kit around with incredible force; it was like being punched by Jira. The hit had been from a bullet, which thankfully his sand armor had obstructed, but the impact had hurt like hell. The redhead noticed that more officers had entered the doorway, much more cautious this time, and Kit was completely open. He threw both Kunai, one buried itself in the neck of an officer while the other bounced harmless off a riot shield. They'd have him surrounded if he didn't move.

Kit started strafing, dodging bullets in an attempt to get closer to the men. If he couldn't distract them and get them away from the door, Kira and Sainō would have no chance of escaping. He was almost within striking distance, when the officers parted ranks to reveal a man in riot gear, holding the business-end of an automatic shotgun in Kit's direction.

There was the loud "Thwump!" as the barrel flashed.

At the close range, Kit was sent flying, grains of sand sprinkling the trail of his fall. He landed on his back, winded and gasping for air. He could feel the multiple pricks of injuries, pieces of flak which made it through his armored skin, indicating the jutsu still needed more work; however, despite the minor pain, none of the damage appeared to be life threatening. Painful? yes... but he could struggle to his feet. This wound wouldn't kill him, not even close.

The policemen quickly surrounding him were an entirely different matter.

Kit saw the wrong end of too many weapons and knew there was no way he could dodge them all. Somewhere off in the distance he heard Kira scream, probably telling him to run, but it was all drowned out by the sudden roar of rushing wind and the shrill of metal soaring through the air.

The police officers looked around frantically, fear evident in their posture. When the wind came roaring into the warehouse, there were screams and shouts as several tried to make it back through the open door… but it was to little avail. Dozens of crimson colored senbon needles came whistling through the open windows, their speed increased by the guiding tailwind, and they peppered the armed attackers.

Left and right police officers fell like fleshy pin cushions until the entire building was cleared. It wasn't until the last man fell that Kitaka felt it was safe to raise his head, and there, standing before him, was Jira.

[…]

The older Uzumaki looked down at his brother with concern. The redheaded boy was bleeding, but thankfully the wounds only appeared to be minor. Jira was thankful for Kitaka's genetic heritage, knowing full well that Gaara's patented sand armor had saved his life. He rushed over to Kit and began checking to make certain he wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Jira! Stop!" Kit squirmed out of Jira's grasp and onto his feet, "I'm fine!"

"Where are the others?" the blond asked worriedly.

"Over here," Kira waved, peeking wild hair out from behind a large metal support, "Kit had us get out of the way."

"Good thing you did," Hana appeared, hanging from the nearest open window. Both Ying and Yang were perched on her feet and chattering noisily about something below. "Most of the gangsters are subdued, and Chino is currently mopping up the rest of them… with some help."

"Help?" Kit asked curiously.

"Team 7 was already handling the outside before we showed up," Hana informed the boy, "They just couldn't make it up here… they didn't have Jira. He took out most of the—"

"It doesn't matter," Jira cut her off, "Is everyone safe?"

There were a few pondering looks before the three genin of Team 5 nodded to the oldest. Taking that as a good sign, Jira turned back to the task at hand. He pressed his communicator, "Chino… any sign of the targets?"

"None," their teammate responded, "Well… strike that. I found the gang leader... He's dead."  
"And the Police Chief?"  
"No sign," Chino said, "The police seem to have calmed down now that the gangs are out of the picture. They're putting handcuffs on _everyone_."

"Just be careful. Don't let your guard down," Jira cautioned. He turned his pale blue eyes on the rest of the genin, about to give them directions when his Byakugan suddenly picked up movement behind him.

There was a metallic click, the sound of a gun's hammer pulling back—quickly followed by the explosion of a high caliber pistol shot.

Jira spun around, releasing a senbon; his free hand rose protectively as he spun… the bullet caught him square in the shoulder.

Everyone looked on in horror as the scene played out.

Jira jerked from the impact, dropping to one knee. The Police Chief, responsible for the shot, dropped his gun as a senbon pierced his hand and a sword sprouted from his shoulder. With a gurgled cry of pain, Chief Kaiza fell to the floor. Standing in his place was an impassive and stoic Ame, his long, azure hair wreathing his face in an almost angelic appearance.

"You alright, Uzumaki?" the pale boy addressed Jira.

With a smirk, Jira stood up and opened the hand he had clenched to his shoulder. A copper colored slug fell to the floor, bouncing with a series of tinny clinks. "We throw weapons almost as fast as they shoot bullets… figured I should learn to catch one."

There were many gazes, including Kit's. Jira could see that his brother's eyes held a glow of pride; however, Ame was anything but impressed.

"Don't be so careless next time, Jira," he said with an offered smile, "I'd hate to have to save your ass a third time."  
"You didn't save me," Jira corrected.  
"That's why I'm not counting this time," Ame gave the blond a wink and vanished back outside just as quickly as he had appeared.

The boy's words brought a bright red flush to Jira's face.

"What was creepy talking about?" Sainō piped up.  
"He's not creepy," Kira snarled, smacking the boy over the head.

Kit was eyeing his brother, "What _was _Ame talking about?"

"Nothing…" Jira sighed, walking over to the window. "Hana, find the person in charge of the newest police detachments. Let them know we have one of there people. Kaiza was apparently one of the ones in charge of the smuggling ring. They'll want to take the police chief into custody."

He ignored Kitaka's curious stare and continued to focus, "They'll also want to get him an ambulance. He's not dead, but if he keeps losing blood… I can't make any promises. We aren't trained to deal with wounds. Try to keep everyone together until our teachers get back."

"What do you want us to do?" Kit asked.

Jira thought about it for a second, "I want you to stay here. You can't be running around with your communicators not working."

With a huff, Kit stamped his foot, "What about you?"

"I'm staying here too," Jira announced. Apparently this shocked the redhead, because he brother, thankfully, didn't say anything else.

Grateful that the other two members of Team 5 were more cooperative, Jira left them to rest while he went to look out the window at the alley below. He could see Hana and Ame talking to what appeared to be a police detective. Chino and Gemma were helping to handcuff unconscious gangsters and police officers alike, apparently the law enforcement already knew Chief Kaiza had been acting on a personal agenda.

What he didn't see was his youngest brother. Pressing his communicator, Jira tried contacting him. "Fuma… where are you?"

There was no answer. Irritation set in so he tried someone else, "Ame, can you see Fumato?"

Again, no answer.

Ame didn't even shift posture, as if he hadn't heard a word. The pale, long haired boy just continued talking to the Detective.

"Hana," Jira tried one of his own teammates, "Why does Team 5 have their communicators turned off?"

Hana looked up at him, clearly registering his voice. Jira watched as she turned to Ame and spoke something, before pressing her own communicator to respond, "Ame says they aren't turned off."

"Well they must be, because I've been trying to get his attention." Jira watched as his message was relayed. Below, Ame removed his communicator and examined it. After a few moments, his pale skin flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly took Hana's communicator, "Sorry about that, Jira, my communicator is fried. It must have been from the electrical jutsu earlier."

"Fuma was using jutsu?"

"No," Ame shook his head, even though Jira was an entire story above him and the expression was pointless. "There was a ninja in the alley. She used a lightning jutsu I'm not familiar with… it must have fried the electrical equipment. That must be why Kit didn't hear us. We tried to contact him when the fighting broke out."

"Alright," Jira accepted that and pushed on to the more important topic, "Where _is _Fuma?"

"He was with Gemma…" Ame turned to look in that direction, suddenly realizing the problem. "Oh…"

"Find him!" Jira growled, "Shutting off the communicator."

"What's wrong?" Kitaka was at his shoulder in no time.

Jira pondered whether or not to tell his brother, deciding that it couldn't hurt, "Fuma isn't down there."

"Can you see him?"

Kit's question was easily understandable… but the problem was Jira couldn't see Fumato. Byakugan was still active, and he'd managed to push its limits to almost a fifteen hundred foot radius. The small, black haired child was nowhere to be seen, and Jira was rapidly getting worried. "I don't see anything…"

"I can sense him," Kit said finally.

Jira looked at the redhead with respect. Kit was almost two years younger him… and, if he could sense a particular chakra signature, that was remarkable. Jira was still having issues with that particular skill. He could read signatures, but differentiating them was difficult. He was better with people familiar to him… such as Kit and his teammates. Fumato should be similarly easy, and Jira wondered why he hadn't thought to do that in the first place

"Which direction?" Jira asked hurriedly.

"That way," Kit pointed north, "And he's moving."

Yes, he was. Fuma was moving rapidly for some reason, and Jira was finding it hard to follow the chakra as it got further away.

"I have to go now," Jira announced.

"I'm coming with you," Kit said, tightening his kunai pouch.

"No!" Jira snapped, "I need you here when dad gets back. Tell him what's going on."

"But you can't go by yourself… that woman… she was…"

Jira turned back to his little brother smirked, "I'll take Ame… you take charge, and I promise you: I'll be fine. Kit may just be chasing down one of the gang members... or a cat for all we know."

Kit obviously disagreed with him, but Jira was glad to see him nod in agreement. Without another word, Jira leapt from the window, onto a nearby fire escape.

"Hana," Jira called through his communicator, "Tell Ame he's with me."

As he took to the rooftop, Jira was comforted by another familiar chakra. He looked to his right and nodded at the tall, pale youth who now had his flank covered.

"Wanted to make sure I could save you again?" Ame chuckled.

"You know very well that's not how it happened," Jira countered.

Ame let out another soft laugh, "Keep telling yourself that… now where are we going."

"North," Jira replied solemnly, "Fuma's running from something."

[…]

_Talent…_

_That is something I can personally vouch for. Talent has significant, intrinsic value. Without talent, a person is just mediocre… mundane. In the grand scheme of things, talentless people are useless._

_It is my life to recognize power. I train power, I see power… I understand power._

_Power is a raw fundament, but for it to be useful… there has to be talent, and I encourage talent. I've spent years developing special, talented individuals… all for one purpose, but I have yet to find that one individual who could help me finish the plan. _

_How delightful that I now seem to have a plentiful batch of such talented children to pick from._

_I've seen a great portion of talent today… but I need to test one more. One little child hasn't shown me anything, and that makes me think he is all the more talented because of it_.

[…]

Fuma had been following a ghost.

At least it had seemed like a ghost. While he'd been in the alleyway fighting the police who were trying to hurt Kitaka, Ame had told him to keep his eyes open. Fuma always did as he was instructed, otherwise people got hurt. He had been highly alert, which was why he'd noticed something in the shadows.

Fuma had seen a pair of blue eyes. At first they'd looked like Naruto's, but then he noticed how cold they were. When he went for a closer look, the shadows detached from the wall and fled down another alley. It had been a struggle whether or not to cbase after, but, in the end, Fuma felt something inside that urged him to follow.

He'd been chasing that shadow for quite a while, only just now realizing how far he'd gotten from the others. He was about to turn around and head back, when the shadow suddenly stopped.

It looked at him; he looked back… then it disappeared down a side-alley.

He walked tentatively to the edge, looking down the paved way. The alley was a dead end, nothing there could have been of interest, besides he didn't see the shadow. Turning his gaze to other areas, Fumato finally saw what he was looking for.

"That's not a really good hiding spot," the boy said, looking up at the ledge above him.

Silent and graceful, a figure dropped down to land beside him. A woman, a very tall woman, stood and looked down at him. Fuma locked eyes with her, deciding instantly that she wasn't a very nice person. He'd only met a few women in his life… Sakura, Hinata, grandma Tsunade… _though she'd threatened to kill him if he ever called her that in public_… and a few mothers of his friends. They all had kind eyes, but this woman… she had eyes like crystal—harsh, emotionless. Fuma seen his Sasuke's eyes get like that from time to time, but they would eventually soften, especially around Naruto.

Fuma didn't think this person's eyes had the ability to soften.

"What makes you think I was hiding?" the woman asked, a smirk twitching her lips.

Fuma thought about the question, "Because you were in the dark. People hide in the dark."

"People use the shadows as a distraction, too," her voice came from behind him this time. Fuma turned to see an identical version of the woman standing inside the alley.

"Everything can be a tool," a third woman appeared, again identical.

The first woman shrugged, "But I don't expect a little boy to understand."

"I think I get it…" Fumato smiled cheerfully up at the woman.

"It's like a game," another version of Fumato appeared next to the woman in the alley. He'd always enjoyed making clones. Naruto and Fuma had created several different games, one that resembled this.

An impressed smile played across the stranger's lips. She took a step closer to Fumato, now looming over him. Her ice blue eyes held some sort of bizarre excitement within them. "Yes," she said with a whisper, "Something like that..."

* * *

_**Side notes:**_

_**PTT is a term for walkie-talkies... it means Push to Talk. I figured it would work similarly for ear mounted communicators. Bluetooth headsets also have PTT buttons, so yes. That's what PTT means.**_

_**In the warehouse, when the senbon appeared... Jira was guiding them from a distance with wind jutsu. This will be explained in greater detail as the story progresses, as well the abilities of all character.**_

_**In the last scene... everything that involves identical women, I just wanted to stress that she had made clones. There isn't some twist that they are triplets or anything. (.) I think it was made clear enough, but I'm not going to be reading it fresh... so let me know. **_


	7. Dark Portents for the Chunin Exams

_**Hello!**_ This chapter was pure hell!

**Hell **I tell you! _**HELL**_! Fumato threw me a curve at the end of chapter 5, and I had to manage (out of my ass) to pull this chapter from the outline and connect it to chapter 5 and it's cliffhanger... while getting EVERYTHING else in (without having to create another new chapter). Thankfully it all worked out and I was able to salvage my outline. Whew! Next chapter will be much more fun... it's got romance, humor, and set up for... dun dun dun: more action!

In this chapter, we close our book on the Mission and begin out journey back to Konoha. Plot thickens... dastardly plans look to be underway... who or what is this woman? I know everyone is dying to know right? Right? Yes, of course you are... sadly, I cannot answer that for you! Well I could, but I won't. Read on to become more embroiled in the story that is Naruto: Kurashio. Also, please check out my epic poem project "Lies that Bind". It's very short (and I think interesting), if poetry isn't your think... check out Neon Lights for a fluffy one-shot... or if that isn't your think and you like high school boys: check out user Kreatyve and her story "Lets Play a Love Game". Or, if you don't like high school boys, but you like original Naruto? Check out Angel Wings-008 and her stories about Itachi (Rising Sun and the companion piece Falling Snow), both are short and excellent! Go! Read! Now! Love ya all!

**_Sarai_**

* * *

_**Naruto: Kurashio**_  
_**Chapter 6 - Ebb Tide**_

"Who are you?" Fuma asked the strange woman.

The look she gave him was frightening, not for any physical reason he could describe… but for the way it made him feel. Her eyes saw too much, and Fuma knew what it was like to be perceptive.

"Your father," the woman said, her voice was tinted with curiosity, "Who is he?"

"I have two," Fuma stated. He cast a wary eye at the shadow clones around him, not certain if they were going to attack or not.

"You're cautious," she smiled, "That's a good thing." With a quick hand sign, the woman vanished all of the clones… including Fumato's. It was a hand sign he'd never seen before.

He took a step back, "How did you…?"

"Such trivial things do not matter, not when time is of the essence," The woman closed the distance between them in an instant. "Your fathers… are they among the three jonin who are currently in the city?"

Fuma wanted to nod his head rapidly, but he held back. He wasn't going to tell this woman anything.

"I thought so," she said with smirk, "If they weren't here… you wouldn't have bothered protecting them. Don't worry… I could have harmed them already if I so desired."

"You're lying."  
The woman raised an intrigued eyebrow at Fumato's statement. "Am I?" she asked.

"They are stronger than any other ninja," the boy stated matter-of-factly, "They could beat you."  
"At one time…" the woman mused, "I'm certain that may have been the case… many years ago."

From the way she spoke, Fuma registered something chilling. This woman, she looked barely older than Sakura or Aunt Hinata, maybe just a few years, but the way she spoke… she sounded so ancient; even her words seemed to hold a sort of ominous quality to them. The dark haired boy moved to take another step back, but he found himself frozen to the spot, unable to avoid her gaze.

"Well, no matter," she smiled again, "I don't have the desire to find out… besides they are not the ones coming to rescue you, and I have no desire to fight children today."

"Who's coming?" Fuma said, worry in his voice.  
"Your brother…" the woman said, her eyes looking of in the distance as if she were seeing something far away, "And another long haired boy… your teammate if I've observed correctly."

"Are you going to hurt them?"

She again gave him the foreign look, the one which looked through Fuma rather than at him. "Again…" she replied with a casual drawl, "Not today." The stranger gave another look off into the distance, "I've wasted too much time…"

Crystalline, blue eyes fixed him with a penetrating stare, "I have something very important that I need from you… if you don't want something to happen to the ones you care about… pay _very _close attention."

Fuma nodded slowly when she didn't continue.  
"Good. Do you know about the Chunin exams?"  
Again, Fuma nodded.

"Every so often… I take an interest in the exams. I use them as a… recruitment method of sorts, but only when the participants pique my interest," she crouched down until she was even height with Fuma, "I've taken an interest this year… but, if you and your friends don't make it back to Konoha within the next 24 hours, then my interest will be wasted."

"What can I do?" he was interested, not just because he wanted to keep this woman from hurting anyone but because she was literally giving him what he wanted. Fuma had heard so many stories about the Chunin exams, especially when his fathers had participated. He knew he was ready to take them; he'd been on the same level as Kit for years… he was possibly better. No, he knew he was better. Kit was the same age Naruto had been for the exams… why shouldn't he be allowed to participate?

"Ask the silver haired one…"  
"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Ah… the Copy-nin of the Sharingan eye," the woman looked amused, "I haven't seen him in almost half a century… he hasn't aged well, but then again… the last time I saw him he was near your age."

"You _knew_ Kakashi sensei?"

"I… am nothing but a memory to him, perhaps no more than a random nightmare," she said thoughtfully, "But I am part of what made him who he is today… and he has served me, however unwittingly. He'll know how to get you into the exams, that much is certain." She looked over into the distance once more, becoming apparently impatient. With a quick motion, she stood up and drew them into the shadows. There was a sudden whirl of darkness, and Fuma found himself pulled out of the dark and into a completely different ally.

The woman was beginning to look irritated, "I've bought us precious moments… do you understand?"

Trying to wrap his head around what had just happened, Fuma nodded, "I ask Kakashi-sensei to get us into the Chunin Exams… and you leave my dads alone."

Her response was a cold, sharp laugh, "When did I ever say that?"

"But… you said—"

"I said no harm would come to them, _at this moment_, but I have a personal interest in these exams…" that unsettling smile played across her lips again, "I have a _particular_ interest in your family."

"Leave us _alone_." Fuma hoped he sounded strong; he wanted to come across like his father. Sasuke could always make people be quiet when he spoke like that. Something in the woman's eyes told him it hadn't worked.

"Don't waste the few seconds we have left…" she warned, "If you want to make _certain_ your family is safe, do what I say." She turned and walked off towards the shadows once more.

"How do will you know?" Fuma shouted after her.

The woman stopped in her tracks, pausing just before shadows touched her flesh. She contemplated his question for a brief second, "I'll be much closer than you think…"

"And if I want to talk to you?"

"Curiosity…" the woman smirked, not bothering to look at Fuma, "I've been to a land where they have a saying about that and how it killed a cat… but there's nothing about how it relates to a fox…"

Fuma was trying to buy time, and for the moment it seemed to be working. Something about this woman enjoyed teasing time, and the little raven had a feeling she liked to talk… if only to make certain she still existed. Fuma could explain it, but, every time she spoke, her words seemed to come from somewhere far away.

"It would be best if we do not meet again, little one," she said after a long pause, her eyes distant and different for the briefest of moments, "Innocence has a way of becoming _twisted _in this game…" She blinked, and her eyes were back to their cold certainty, "But if you find your curiosity too much, you need only open your eyes."

Her words confused and intrigued him; in fact everything about this woman was somehow alluring. The young Uchiha wanted to speak with her longer, wanted to ask more questions. His mouth had opened to do just that, when he suddenly heard his name shouted from a ways behind him.

"Fuma!"

The boy whirled around and saw two figures heading toward him, "Jira? Ame?"  
He was startled to see the intensity on their faces, their concern frightening. He was momentarily frozen, afraid to move, but then Fuma remembered who he had been talking to. He spun, prepared to defend his older brother and his teammate, but the woman was gone.

The only thing between him and the nearest wall was the shadow cast by the waning sunlight.

"Fumato!" the voice which called out this time was far more stern than Jira's had been.

Looking up quickly, the small raven saw a completely different pair of blue eyes glaring down at him. Shortly there after, he was surrounded not only by his brother, his friend, and his teacher… but both of his stern faced, and obviously angry, parents.

[…]

"Did either of you get a good look at her?" Kakashi was talking to Jira and Ame, safely out of Naruto and Sasuke's field of vision.

"Nothing," Ame stated.  
"We caught a brief chakra signature, but it was gone before we even came within sight of Fuma," Jira explained.

"Our luck wasn't much better," Kakashi mirrored their disappointment. The somber mood was interrupted by a loud shout from Naruto. The blond had been doing that on and off for the past five minutes, apparently yelling was therapeutic for angry parents.

Kakashi had never liked yelling, which was probably why he never had children. No, that wasn't the reason, but it was a good excuse. Still, as he watched Naruto and Sasuke give a lengthy lecture about the dangers of "running off on your own", Kakashi couldn't help but smirk beneath the mask. If either of these men had paused to think, they would have realized how hypocritical they sounded to the silver-haired jonin.

It wasn't his place to say anything, so Kakashi merely chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny, sensei?"

Turning his gaze to the two boys who had moved away from the fight, Kakashi noticed Ame had been the one to speak, to which Kakashi responded with a smile, "It's funny how much a person can change once they become a parent. Something always seems to be shoved up your-"

"Keep your opinions out of this, you pervert!" Naruto shouted in his direction.

Count on Naruto to hear even the smallest of comments directed his way. Kakashi chuckled again, enjoying how it made the blond man twitch with annoyance.

"Is that why you haven't had kids, sensei?" Ame asked him.  
"I have kids," Kakashi said cheerily, "Three of them…"

Jira raised an eyebrow at this, but it was Ame who responded, yet again, "Sensei, I'm afraid Fumato, Gemma, and I do not count."

"Of course you don't," Kakashi waved dismissively, "I was speaking of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura."  
"I heard that!" Naruto barked.  
"And I'm so proud of you!" Kakashi shouted back, waving mockingly like a tearful-eyed mother.

"Pervert!" Naruto growled, turning his back on Kakashi. Sasuke shot the elder jonin a glare before turning his attention to Fumato, both of the parent had missed the smile their son had on his face moments before.

Kakashi claimed a silent point for himself, enjoying the small victory against his uppity, former students. His mental victory dance was squashed when Jira spoke up.

"Wouldn't that make you my grandfather?" the boy raised a quizzical, blond brow at Kakashi, as if emphasizing how old that would make him.  
"You make me sound so old," he frowned, scratching his silver head.  
"You are old," Sasuke retorted.

"Go back to your disciplining!" Kakashi retorted, muttering under his breath something about "young whipper-snappers", "lawns", and other generic, geriatric colloquialisms.

Jira snorted at this, but Ame had a sudden look of realization. The pale haired boy turned to Jira and nudged him, "You know… if he is your grandfather, then rightfully he could put a stop the discipline."

The same light bulb went off over Jira's head and he nodded conspiratorially, "And, since he's Fuma's team leader, grandfather could easily take charge of the punishment…"

Kakashi listened to their little mutiny, feigning disinterest until he could no longer bear to listen to the old man references, "Alright! I get it!" He made placating hand gestures in hopes of silencing them. "I'd already planned on stepping in…" he muttered to himself.

The elder jonin really had no desire to get mixed up in parenting, or even fake grand-parenting for that matter. If there was any place in the world Kakashi didn't want to be, it was stuck between an angry Sasuke and Naruto. Death would be preferable, Kakashi had already sampled it once and found it mildly appetizing compared to what he was about to do.

"Mah…" Kakashi crooned, striding up to the trio. He nearly withered under the icy stares from his former students, but the hopeful look on Fumato's face helped him continue. "You two harpies can give it a rest," he offered, "I'll take over responsibility for his punishment."

"We're his parents," Sasuke said flatly, "Your help isn't necessary."

"Well, he's my student and if he broke any rules it would be up to me to decide, would it not?" Kakashi countered, "Seeing as you have no ideas what my instructions were, you have no right to chastise my subordinates."

Sasuke looked as if he were about to be more livid than he already was, but Naruto took a level head for once. "What did you have in mind?" the blond asked.

"I haven't been able to question Fuma as of yet," Kakashi gave the two parents a stern look, "Once I have determined why he ran off, I'll be able to punish him appropriately."

"That's not—" Sasuke started, but, again, Naruto finished for him.

"Alright, but I want your word you'll keep a better eye on him, Kakashi," Naruto gave the Copy-nin a look that was downright lethal. Were Kakashi not to know any better, he would have thought Naruto and Sasuke had switched bodies; however, Naruto was always a different entity when his children were concerned.

"I give you my word…"

"You'll give me your eye if you don't," Naruto said coldly, storming off. He was clearly perturbed, but his sudden change in demeanor had shocked Kakashi… and apparently everyone else gathered as well.

It wasn't long before Sasuke, Naruto, and Jira left to meet up with the other members of their squads, leaving Ame and Fuma alone with Kakashi… no one seemed inclined to speak.

"What's our exit strategy, sensei?"  
"Ame…" Kakshi sighed, "Always the practical one…"  
"It needs to be discussed," the pale boy reminded him.

"Yes, yes," the jonin agreed, "Go and find Gemma… stick with the other teams. Fuma and I will be with you shortly." The boy gave him a nod before darting off to do as he was told, leaving Kakashi with a very silent boy.

The young Uchiha was suddenly very preoccupied with his feet; his head hung in such a way that his face was entirely obscured by dark tresses of hair… sometimes the boy could act just like Naruto.

"Fuma…"

The boy didn't move.

"Look at me."

For the first time that evening, Kakashi made actual eye contact with the boy. Within those charcoal colored eyes, the silver-haired jonin could see a wash of emotions, the predominate one being worry.

"Care to tell me what happened?"  
"I was following something," Fuma said meekly.  
"Something or someone?" Kakashi pressed.

"…" Fuma looked towards the shadows, as if waiting from something to come out of them. "Someone…" he finally said.

"A female ninja?"  
Fumato nodded.  
"Did you get a good look at her?"  
The boy nodded again.  
"Finally," Kakashi breathed, "Can you tell me what she looked like?"  
Fuma shook his head, clearly no.  
This caused the jonin to frown, "Why not?"  
"I promised not to," Fuma said quietly.

"Ah…" Kakashi nodded. Apparently the boy had done more than just get a look at their mysterious ninja. "Is there anything you _can_ tell me?"

Fuma shook his head, no, but then stopped, thinking hard about something. Finally he asked, "Kakashi-sensei… do you know about the Chunin exams?"

"_Odd…_" Kakashi thought, "_Why would he be worried about that?_"

It was true he had been preparing to enter his team in the exams this year, but Kakashi hadn't mentioned the plans to anyone. This was the first team he'd trained since Naruto and Sasuke… and if elder jonin were to be honest, his current team was even stronger than the previous had been at this stage. It would be foolish _not to _enter them in the exams; Konoha could only profit from the exposure, and the kids would get more experience than he could give them on basic assignments.

"What do you want to know?"

Fuma thought hard, his forehead scrunching up with the effort which, again, caused him to look more like Naruto than Sasuke. It was strange how quickly the boy could change from one to the other.

"She said…" Fuma practically whispered, "That we have less than twenty-four hours to enter them."

"That can't be possible…" Kakashi paused, thinking back to the previous days before they left Konoha. He remembered how insistent Tsunade had been about getting all of their teams out of the city, how she had assigned them a routine mission that would last for weeks, and how she hadn't relaxed a single moment leading up to their mission…

"_She was planning the exams behind my back_," Kakashi realized, "_The registration period is two weeks… if she started it the day we left, then they would be ending at noon tomorrow in time for the first exam!_"

Kakashi mentally cursed himself for not realizing it sooner, although there would have been little to anything he could have done about it… but all hope wasn't lost, not just yet.

"Did she say anything else?" Kakashi asked thoughtfully.

"She said you would know how to get me registered for the exams," Fuma looked back towards the shadows, his words drifting with his change in focus.

"I may have an idea…" Kakashi muttered, "But if that doesn't work… I know what your punishment is going to be."

[…]

Slam!

The blurred fist impacted with the side of Sasuke's head, sending him staggering. The Uchiha quickly ducked another oncoming blow and leapt backwards, trying to place some distance between himself and the enraged blond.

Why he had ever agreed to spar with Naruto, Sasuke would never be able to honestly say. He had seen the violent tint to his partner's normally placid, blue eyes; it was a gleam the raven hadn't seen in years. It had frightened him, yet at the same time… it was also exciting. The blond needed to vent, and Sasuke was the only one would give him the ablity to fully release. Naruto had been docile in parenthood. Yes, he had become exponentially powerful in the past few years, but that power was tempered by reason, by kindness, and ultimately by a desire to protect his family.

Right now? The blond had none of these inhibitions.

Naruto was completely guided by his rage, a rage set off by the interference of Kakashi and the knowledge that Fumato had been in danger—a danger Naruto could not have prevented, despite his incredible strength.

Fists struck out towards Sasuke in rapid succession, taking every bit of his speed to block. There was no hope of dodging the blond, no hope of retaliating at the moment. Sasuke had signed up to be a punching bag; the only thing he could control at this moment was how many hits he would be taking.

His opponent definitely wasn't pulling any punches, Sasuke noted as the next fist completely winded him, followed rapidly by a blow to the shoulder which sent him stumbling backwards.

They had decided to forgo jutsu, weaponry, and other ninja items—preferring to dedicate themselves to the noblest method of stress relief: fist fighting. Unfortunately, Sasuke's eagerness for the experience had hindered his normally rational sensibilities… he hadn't thought this through. Because of the Kyuubi, Naruto was immensely better equipped when it came to physical attributes… which were presenting their benefits in the form of several cuts and rising bruises along the raven's pale flesh.

Sasake staggered back against a tree, using it to brace himself, and Naruto was upon him in an instant, no hesitation. The Uchiha could feel his eyes widen as he took in the speed of the attack, noticing a familiar red glint swimming into the blond's eyes. Barely ducking in time, Sasuke watched as Naruto's fist sheared through the tree trunk like papier-mâché. Bark, wood chunks, and splinters went flying, providing a deforested background to the angry Naruto as he spun to face Sasuke yet again.

"Dobe!" the raven shouted, "Are you trying to take my head off?" Sasuke didn't want to admit his fear, but if Naruto had hit him like that… he wouldn't be standing, or breathing for that matter.

Naruto shrugged, "I knew you would dodge it."  
"That's not the point!" Sasuke said coldly, "What's gotten into you."

"Would _you_ like to?" Naruto's persona suddenly changed, throwing Sasuke a lust-filled look.  
"Naruto!" Sasuke snapped.

The blond blinked several times before standing up straight. He looked Sasuke up and down, and then sighed heavily, "I don't know… I just don't know…"

"Is it the beast?"  
Naruto's face tightened, "It's not a problem…"  
"Don't lie to me."

"It's not!" Naruto snarled, his face softening. Sasuke could tell he hadn't meant to sound so harsh. "It's just," Naruto tried again, "He's been dormant for so many years…"

"What's changed?"

"He's curious," the blond said, "The moment we first got close to that woman; I could feel him start to stir. I'm in control, but he hasn't been interested in the world for years, and this... intrigues him. He's trying to see more… something about her excites, Kyuubi."

Sasuke walked up to the man and placed a hand gently on his shoulder, tense in case there might be retaliation for the action. Thankfully Naruto relaxed into the gesture. "Are you going to be alright?"

Naruto nodded, "I'm fine… I'd just forgotten how irritating his voice was."

"He's speaking?"  
"Laughing is more accurate," Naruto growled, "He's fucking amused!"

"You have to admit," Sasuke smirked, "The fox has a point. That woman was…"

"Incredible," Naruto breathed, almost too excited. Sasuke had heard that tone in only one other place: their bedroom.

"Something you want to tell me, Dobe?"  
Naruto laughed, "Not in your dreams, Teme… you can't get rid of me that easily."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sasuke snorted, dismissing the idea as he hugged the taller blond.  
"Ne, Sasuke," Naruto breathed into his raven hair, "Thanks for letting me vent."  
"It was either me or Kakashi… couldn't have you killing gramps, could I?"

It was Naruto's turn to snort, and the blond turned away to hide his laughter, "He's going to start acting like Tsunade about his age if we keep that up."

"All the more reason to keep it up, don't you think?" Sasuke's joke was ended by someone clearing their throat.

Both men turned to see Kakashi standing at the edge of their clearing, "If you two are done having a laugh at my poor self-esteem… I could use your signatures."

"On what?" Naruto asked, bounding over.

"Mission scroll," Kakashi offered the roll of paper towards the blond. "Normally, I would take care of it myself, but since we had three teams… I need three signatures."

Naruto nodded and quickly signed his name, passing the scroll along for Sasuke to do the same. The Uchiha paused, looking at the older jonin, "You didn't skip anything did you? I don't want my name attached to some faulty paperwork."

"You wound me, Sasuke," Kakashi held his free hand to his forehead in mock fainting.

Not wanting to put up with the gray haired copy-nin for another moment, Sasuke signed the scroll and allowed Kakashi to roll it up. "Thank you, both," Kakashi said cheerily, tucking the scroll into his vest, "Now if you don't mind wrapping up your foreplay… we have to get back to running."

Naruto whined, "Why! What's the point? My team didn't do anything wrong!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond but didn't say anything, waiting for the elder ninja's response.

"Because the actions of an individual affects the entire team," Kakashi said dryly, "Fuma's actions could have affected all three teams, drawing out dangerous consequences… in order to prevent any of our genin from doing the same, they all partake in the punishment."

"Why then does the punishment also affect us," Sasuke finally asked.

"Because… you'll want to get back to Konoha as quickly as I do," Kakashi offered. The Uchiha could tell the bastard was smiling beneath his mask.

"Do I even want to ask?" the raven rolled his eyes.

"As a matter of fact," Kakashi chuckled, "You would like to know this… our beloved Hokage has sent us on a fool's errand… all for the reason of getting us out of the village."

Sasuke's face fell immediately into its emotionless mask, a reaction that had become habit whenever he heard something he didn't quite like, "Explain."

"You know how the villages of Water and Fire have been rumored to be in competition to host the Chunin Exams?"  
Naruto and Sasuke nodded.  
"Were either of you planning on entering your team into the exams?"  
After a pause, Naruto and Sasuke nodded again.

"And how long is the registration period?" Kakashi said, finally leading them to his conclusion.

"Two weeks," Naruto said, completely oblivious.

Sasuke was not so oblivious; he'd seen where Kakashi was headed, "Standard recon missions can take up to a month… you're saying the hag wanted us out of the way? Why?"

"What?" Naruto looked at both men, shocked, "What reason would Baa-chan have for that?"

"I don't know," Kakashi said wearily, "But I do know will miss our chance if we aren't in Konoha before noon."

"The first exam," Sasuke realized. It started at noon on the last day of registration, and it normally cut the entrants down to a third of their starting size. Every exam period, the first exam changed… and it also varied based upon which village was hosting; however, if Konoha was holding registration… that meant Ibiki would most likely be proctor for the first exam.

"There's no way we can make it back there in eighteen hours," Naruto wailed, "The kids aren't fast enough."

"Hence their punishment," Kakashi stated gleefully, "They have to run home. With any luck, we'll make it just in time for the first exam."

[…]

Konoha was abuzz with the sounds, chatter, and bustle of excitement which came from the Chunin Exams. The villagers were constantly observing the many guests; the genin were trading tips, secrets, and training techniques, while the advising ninja and older shinobi began taking stock of the new up-and-comers. Everyone had something invested in the upcoming months.

For the Hokage, she had something invested in each and every second of the next hour. It would soon be high noon, the exams would then start, and she could stop worrying. None of the teams sent to Ishitohi had reported in, but that was to be expected from a recon mission; however, a lack of communication could also give Kakashi a chance to sneak up on her.

Tsunade refused to have that; therefore, she had placed the Anbu at every city entrance. If Teams Three, Five, or Seven came into sight, she would greet them personally and stall them. No matter what, she couldn't afford the political ramifications of having three powerful Konoha genin teams enter the exams this year… in fact, she didn't want to think about the ramifications of having one of those teams entered. It would be a nightmare keeping tabs on their asses.

"Lady Hokage," an Anbu officer with the bear mask appeared before her in a cloud of smoke.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me Kakashi has returned," Tsunade threatened. She couldn't deal with holding them off for nearly an hour.

"Um… no," the man said quietly, obviously confused as to why she would care if one of their own ninja teams had returned. "Though I do think you'll want to see this…" he said carefully.

"See what?" the vein in her forehead twitched. What could possibly be going on now?  
"There is a genin team at the west gate."  
"And the problem is?"  
"They want to enter the Chunin Exams," the bear said as if stating the obvious problem.

"Despite how much of my time you are wasting," Tsunade growled, "Registration still doesn't close for another forty-five minutes."

"Uh… yes, ma'am, but… well…"  
"Spit it out!" she snapped.  
"They claim to be from Darunōgakure."

This announcement did earn a raised eyebrow from the Hokage, "The Village Hidden in the Shadows? I've never even heard of it…"

"Nor have we ever had any entrants from it," the bear said quietly, "Not that any of the Anbu officer can remember…"

"You are all children compared to me," Tsunade sighed, letting the man know that his experience and opinion didn't really matter on the subject. Rather than standing around talking to him, she performed the signs for transportation jutsu and appeared just outside the western gates.

There before her was a very peculiar scene. Four ninja stood surrouned by about twenty Anbu ninja, all of which were keeping a safe distance. Tsunade took moment to understand why. In the center of the Anbu circle were four individuals: one man and three girls… who must have been the genin mentioned by the bear.

The man was obviously their supervisor. He had shoulder length, dark blond hair and wore simple, black shinobi robes and a white hakama. The Hokage saw nothing of particular interest about him… except for the village symbol on his forehead protector: a large, black circle.

"_Strange that they would create their own hitai-ate_," Tsunade thought, "_All to infiltrate the exams_?" Of course she couldn't rule out the possibility; the exams had been infiltrated before, and by much more elaborate means. Still… it was something so minor; Tsunade didn't feel any dishonesty in it.

Once she turned her attention to the genin, the Hokage could understand why the Anbu were keeping their distance. The first, and most bizarre of the young girls, was actually taller than Tsunade herself. This girl stood at the back of the group, easily two inches taller than their male companion, and that wasn't her most outlandish feature. No, she was dark skinned, the color of dark-rose chocolate, and her face and arms were covered in swirling, spiraling, tribal tattoos. Tsunade had never seen an entity like this in all her travels.

Across the girl's back was strung a long, wide blade… it looked to be an abnormally large katana, but in this girls hands… it looked to fit. Tsunade wondered how well she could wield it. From the way the dark skinned girl stood, her arms crossed and dark, sanguine eyes daring anyone to make a move, the Hokage was willing to bet she was more than capable.

Next to this girl was a small, petit individual. This girl was barely five feet tall, probably shorter, but her dress was interestingly… not that of a ninja. No, she looked like a living version of a gothic, Lolita doll… like the ones the Hokage had seen in the shops, whenever she visited major cities. This girl had silver hair, which hung down to the middle of her back. She wore knee high boots, which gave her an extra inch or so in height, and a black lace, baby doll dress that was trimmed with white lace and silver ribbon.

Tsunade could see no weapons on this girl, save for a tachi tied into the large bow at the small of her back… and perhaps she had one concealed in her lace umbrella? It was difficult to know without confiscating the item, which Tsunade wasn't about to do just yet.

Directly in front of the tribeswoman, at the head of the group, stood a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. This individual was decked out in a full body, black-leather shinobi battle suit, every expensive equipment; tied around her waist was a black shawl which hung like a loose skirt. She was ready for action, a well prepared genin. What made the Hokage even more caution about this girl was her armament: no visible weapons, just a kunai pouch on her visible thigh and abnormally long nails… upon closer observation, Tsunade noticed that the woman's nails were actually some kind of black metal; they had most likely be surgically replaced. It must have taken painful medical ninjustu to perform such a procedure.

This woman had long, feathered, black hair and immaculate, white skin. Tsunade had to blink several times to make certain this individual wasn't glowing; she'd never seen someone so pale look so healthy… vibrant… and in charge. Something in the way she stood, completely undaunted by the presence of so many powerful ninja and the appearance of the Hokage, told Tsunade that this was the person she should be talking to… even though it grated her nerves to speak with a child.

"I am Hokage, Tsunade Godaime," she announce, making eye contact with the feathered-hair girl, "State your business please."

At a sideways look from the girl, the man answered, "We are the genin company from Darunōgakure. We come with the missive from the Majokage to enter the Chunin Exams."

There were steady murmurs from the gathered Anbu at the name mentioned; Tsunade herself had heard of the legends… the Majokage, or the _Shadow Witch_, had been a frightening story her own mother had used, one that would make young children obey for fear of being spirited away in the night.

"The Majokage is a myth," Tsunade said flatly, "You expect me to admit you into my city based upon something so fictitious?"

"Of course not," the man flashed a charming smile, "I have here… a scroll signed with a seal from Senju Hashirama, along with the other first Kages. It is a binding oath to the Majokage, allowing her and her descended apprentices entrance into the exams should ever the need arise."

He walked over and handed the scroll to Tsunade, who took it with careful temerity. She carefully broke the seal, once she was certain it was not trapped, and unrolled it. Inside were indeed the signatures of each of the founding Kages… and surprisingly several of the new village leaders, including a signature seal from Hiruzen Sarutobi… for entrance into the Chunin Exams over forty years ago.

"This looks legitimate," Tsunade had to concede. There was no way they could have forged the first Hokage's seal, as it was safely locked away in her office and had not been touched in years. She looked at each of the three genin once more, none of which had spoken as single word.

Each of them wore a matching village headband, identical to the one worn by the man. The tribal girl had hers firmly tied into her ponytail of deep, brown hair; the gothic Lolita had hers fastened to her right forearm; and the imperious girl with the frighteningly serious, blue eyes… she wore hers around her neck. Each headband bore the black circle, which apparently was the symbol of Darunōgakure.

"Shikamaru," Tsuande called out.

Instanly the Jonin Commander appeared before her, his spikey ponytail standing as much at the ready as he was, "Yes, Hokage."

"The registration scroll please," Tsunade held out her hand to accept it. Once she had it in her grasp, she turned to the three girls, "I'll need each of your names to complete the process."

"Mavrí Gyasatsu," the tall, clannish girl spoke. Tsunade couldn't look her in the eyes without tilting her head up, therefore she didn't make eye contact.  
"Eira Dorcha," the small, gothic girl giggled.

Tsunade was about to be sick, so she turned to the last girl, who said nothing. Raising an eyebrow in irritation, the Hokage waited… yet still received nothing. They locked eyes, and Tsunade could tell they were having a battle of wills—one she wasn't certain she could win quickly.

Irritation getting the better of her, Tsunade growled out, "Name?"

"Cala Warukutō," the girl answered.

"Very well," the Hokage wrote down the last name, "And your name, I have to record a village supervisor."  
"Ryu Han," the man bowed slightly, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance…"

"Ryu," the girl named Cala spoke again, her voice sounding like a cold whip, "You were not asked to speak further."  
Tsunade's anger bristled further, "In this village we treat our teacher with respect—"

"Mistress Cala means no disrespect, Madam Hokage!" Ryu held up hands apologetically, "It's just that Darunōgakure is a matriarchal society, and I am not their teacher… merely a chaperone. Their training comes directly from the Majokage, and therefore they act with her authority. I am but a servant for this trip."

"I see…" Tsunade was still not pleased with the girl's behavior, but it was not her place to correct or alter the customs of another village. So long as the man wasn't insulted, she would do her job. She rolled up the registration scroll and stuck it within the folds of her robes, noting that she'd managed to pass the time until registration had ended.

"You'll need to report to the exam room before noon," she announced, "I'm not your tour guide, so expect to find your own way… you are ninja after all. I extend you a warm welcome to Konohagakure, and I wish you the best of luck with your exams."

She made to leave, but found a hand gripping her elbow. Tsunade turned an irate gaze around to see the girl, Cala, responsible for detaining her.

"The scroll," the blue-eyed child stated, not flinching from the Hokage's apparent wrath.  
"Excuse me?" Tsunade raised her voice.  
"The Majokage's invitation. It does not belong to you," Cala state blandly.

She wanted to resist, to keep the scroll for futher study, but Tsunade could not afford a scandal, especially if the other Villages knew of Darunōgakure and could use that as a political standpoint for aggression. Reluctantly, she handed over the old document, "My apologies."

"You mistakes are your own to learn from," Cala dismissively offered, walking past the Hokage and into the now open gates.

Tsunade was left completely shellshocked, unable to even utter a comeback or a reprimand. She hadn't even gained her faculties until the strange group was out of sight; Shikamaru had to come and jostle her.

"Ma'am… wouldn't it be best to return to the Hokage tower? I need to put my men back on sentry duty, and I can't do that with you standing here…" he looked concerned.  
"Shikamaru?" Tsunade whispered.  
"Yes?"  
"Please tell me you saw that…"  
"Saw what, ma'am?"  
"That girl…"

Shikamaru looked back toward the gates quizzically. "She was rude," he said finally, "That was no way to speak to a village leader, especially when making new ties."

"No," Tsunade shook her head, "Those eyes… it was as if she had a thousand souls… or none at all." She knew she was rambling now, speaking out loud as she tried to gain he own thoughts.

Shikamaru was obviously perplex, preferring not to be bothered with more than his station demanded. "I wouldn't know anything about that, Lady Hokage," he said, taking a step back.

With a nod, Tsunade motioned for the Anbu to disperse. After a few quick hand signals, she was back in her office… all the time in the world to ponder her latest conundrum: Cala Warukuto… why had such a young girl caused the mighty Godaime Hokage to stand petrified with fear?


	8. Eavesdropping and Other Study Habits

**Hello everyone! **

I'm moved into my new place, I have uberfast internet, and I've finished writing another chapter. Yay! This is a connecting chapter between the mission and the Chunin Exams. Nothing really exciting to report about events... I do have to say that the Village Hidden in the Shadows was relatively well accepted, as were the Shadow genin. I'm glad. They have a small amount of screen time in this chapter, though I know some people are going to hit me for what Cala does. . The Chunin Exams start next chapter, so that's where the real fun is going to start. Hope you enjoy, hope your review, but most of all I hope you enjoy reading. Much love!

_**~Sarai**_

* * *

**_Naruto: Kurashio_**  
**_Chapter 7 – Doldrums_**

"Absolutely out of the question!" Tsunade shouted at the three Jonin before her, "I'm not about to re-open registration just because you couldn't make it back on time. You missed the deadline… I'm sorry, but your genin will have to wait until the next exam period."

"And what will you come up with to get us out of the way then, Baa-chan?" Naruto accused, "Jira will be sixteen by then! It's insulting to keep him a genin when he's already more powerful than half the Chunin corps."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Hokage turned her nose up, "And there are many who don't pass the Chunin exams until their late teens."

"But Jira hasn't even been given the chance!" Naruto snarled.

"And that's not my fault!" Tsunade countered.

The blond slammed his hands upon the Hokage's desk, glaring menacingly at her, "I kept my team out of the previous exams for the sole purpose of preparing them for this round… and now you are telling me that I have to tell them _no_, because you didn't inform me of the registration period. I know what you're doing, Tsunade, and I'm not going to stand for it."

"You don't have a choice," she gave him a cold glare, "I'm not changing my mind about this."

[…]

Outside the Hokage's office, nine genin were tensely listening to the heated argument going on behind closed doors. They had been waiting out in the receiving area for nearly an hour, and things didn't look to be changing. At intermittent times they had heard Kakashi, Sasuke, or Naruto arguing with Tsunade-sama… sometimes multiple voices were yelling, but the result they overheard was always the same: no chance of getting into the Chunin exams.

The longer this stalemate went on, the weaker their chances grew of ever getting in. Registration had closed at noon and the first portion of the exam began at one… the three genin teams hadn't arrived in Konoha till shortly after two… the first exam would be over in a matter of minutes, and then they would have no chance at all.

"Dude, Fuma, your dad sounds furious…"

"The Hokage is being a jerk," the small dark haired boy answered. There were several snickers from the others at his comment.

Jira stood quietly off to the side, his attention focused upon the argument going on in the other room. With the Byakugan he was able to see everything, and he could tell just how angry his father was… and Sasuke wasn't too far behind him. It wasn't like Jira could blame them either; from what he could gather, it appeared like the Hokage had intentionally sent the three teams away from Konoha, knowing they would miss the exam registrations.

As far as the eldest Uzumaki child was concerned, the Hokage was being irrational and stubborn, but he was a child. What could he do to change the mind of a Hokage, if three of the most impressive Jonin in Konoha could not? Apparently the other genin gathered where having similar worries… all of them eavesdropping in their own way. Jira had been watching them with amusement. Noticing the techniques his comrades used to gather information would be beneficial in the future, and it provided a necessary distraction from his worry.

Hana had the most interesting system… she was sitting upon and open window sill speaking quietly with her white squirrel Ying. The other squirrel, Yang, had a vantage point outside of the Hokage's office and was looking in on the argument. Every now and then, Hana would send Ying out the window, where the white squirrel would then locate its partner. The two squirrels would exchange information in their bizarre form of communication, and then Ying would return and relay that information to Hana.

Another genin with interesting technique, one Jira felt was worth noting, was Gemma. The boy was intently watching a line of ants which were going in and out of the office from beneath the Hokage's door. The boy never once said a word, but about every five minutes, Gemma would pick one of the ants up with his index finger, bringing it to his ear, and after several minutes he would return it to the floor and intently begin watching the line of insects again. This wasn't so unusual, unless you knew Gemma's father: Shino Aburame, the head of the insect clan.

From what Jira could recall, Gemma's family had a long running history with a specific species of insect, which allowed them several interesting abilities… one of which was an acute understanding of bugs, their hives, and their communication techniques. While Gemma may appear to be playing with a group of ants, Jira was fairly certain the boy was gathering information about the Hokage's meeting.

And why shouldn't he be? Everyone else in the room was doing it. Kit was using Gaara's personal "sand third-eye" technique, which the Kazekage had taught him during one of their monthly visits. Chino was sitting next to the door, using his ears to listing to the sounds which vibrated against the walls, while Gakira looked to be napping. Jira immediately recognized this as the aftermath of her "mind swapping jutsu", a special technique of the Yamanaka clan, which her mother headed; Sainō kept poking her every now and then, but when she didn't budge, the nymph-like boy sat down and surrendered to his boredom for a few moments before prodding his teammate again.

Jira suppressed a chuckle and turned his concentration on the remaining two genin. His little brother was listening intently to his communicator, having trained it in on Naruto's frequency. Apparently their sometimes-absentminded father had forgotten to switch it off, which was giving the small raven a perfect way to listen in… for someone who knew how to patch into a secure channel. Fumato's technique was a little more technologically minded than the other genin, but it was rather ingenious for a young ninja without an active bloodline. It only showed why Fuma had been able to graduate from the academy so early… he substituted his lack of mastered jutsu with pure talent.

"If he ever develops sharingan… or any of our parent's traits," Jira thought, a serious mood falling over him, "He'd be an incredible ninja. Perhaps better than Kit or… even me."

Even though all of Naruto's children were labeled prodigies, Jira had to admit Fuma's genetics gave him a substantial edge… just with raw, natural potential, Fuma was already more impressive than Jira. That would be ok, because Jira had always used his intellect to make himself better than others… add that, along with his overzealous training, and the eldest Uzumaki was certain he could best all comers.

But Fumato had more than just potential; he had a way of looking at things… making connections and relations almost instantly where it would take Jira several moments or longer. Fuma was only going to get better as he got older, whereas Jira felt he might be stagnating. It was a sobering thought; one Jira almost let himself get caught up in.

In an effort to distract himself yet again, Jira forced his attention elsewhere, and found his eyes landing upon the only genin in the room he hadn't observed… possibly because he'd been avoiding looking at the tall, pale-haired youth.

Ame was staring intently out the window, looking blissfully serene and oblivious to everything around him. Something not out of the ordinary for the long haired boy, but Jira had a suspicion that _this_ time he was looking out the window with a purpose; however, try as he might, Jira couldn't deduce how Ame was eavesdropping.

"If you keep looking at me like that, someone might get the wrong impression," Ame turned his violet eyes toward Jira and blinked back a mild bit of shock.

Jira was confused by this, but then he remembered having Byakugan active… his appearance would look mildly disturbing to someone not expecting it. "Sorry," Jira apologized and once again focused on the Hokage's office, noting that nothing had really changed in the past few minutes.

Ame chuckled, "No need. I just keep forgetting that your unique talents have a tendency to make such a pretty face so… _severe_ looking."

"Now look who might be making the wrong impression," Jira growled, not facing the other boy.

With bloodline skill active, Jira could still see Ama shrug indifferently at his comment. "Depends," the graceful boy mused, turning back to the window.

"On what?" Jira asked out of curiosity.

"On whether or not the impression is wrong," Ame smirked, saying nothing else.

Jira felt a slight flush rise to his cheeks for no apparent reason, and he was very glad to know Ame wasn't looking at him. With a sigh, the long-haired blond crossed his arms and went back to observing the Hokage's office, but couldn't stop sneaking stray observations at the graceful boy beside him.

Of all the genin in Konoha, Ame was the only one his age. There were genin older than they were, and a majority of them were younger, but strangely enough Jira and he were the only fourteen year old ninjas in the village—and Ame wasn't even an original resident of the village, having been brought in by Uncle Itachi. Because of the close age, Jira had become closer to Ame than his other friends… and they'd also become rivals. Ame was one of the few genin who could actually hold his own against Jira in a sparring match, something the other refused to let Jira forget. They often kept a tally on how often they'd bested the other, and currently Ame was in the lead… not for actual victories but for "saves" as the pale boy called them.

According to Ame, he'd saved Jira's life twice, which counted more than sparring victories. The first save Jira had to agree with. Kakashi and Naruto's teams had worked together on several training exercises, and on their first cooperation Jira had just begun working with Byakugan in the field. He'd been so overwhelmed by the distance of his sight that he hadn't noticed a cliff's edge right in front of him. Thankfully Ame had grabbed his wrist before he fell, and Jira had been much more careful since then…

The second time was a matter of debate. It had been on their first mission together, and, in a fight with several, violent hooligans on the border of Suna, Ame had stopped one of them from shooting Jira in the back. He had of course seen the man and was more than prepared to dodge; however, Ame insisted that Jira wouldn't have been able to dodge completely and would have been hit by the bullet somewhere—therefore, by saving Jira from the bullet, Ame counted that as another "save". Jira had been fighting to even the score ever since, but, even though he constantly seemed carefree and aloof, Ame never let his guard down.

With the scale unbalanced in their saves, Jira's only comfort was in knowing that he'd managed to best Ame in sparring matches. In fact, Jira had almost double the amount of victories as the other boy, their current score being 22:13 in Jira's favor. In recent months Jira had only been getting better, so it would only be a matter of time before he settled their score… and he was no longer indebted.

At that moment Ame gave Jira an odd look… some mixture of amusement and something else. Jira couldn't place it, but he could have sworn there was a bit of anger there. Why in the world would Ame be angry with him? Jira was about to ask the tall, fair skinned boy that very thing… when a deep, gruff voice nearly frightened him to death.

"You children _do _know the Hokage would skin you alive if she knew you were snooping in on her conversations."

With a quick blink, Jira shut off the Byakugan and turn sideways, slowly. The person he saw before him was possibly one of the most intimidating ninja Jira had ever seen: the man was a giant, easily six and a half feet tall, wearing a black trench coat and a Konoha protector tied over his head… and his face, though obviously stern, was made much more menacing by the presence of several long, hideous scars.

The giant locked eyes on each of the children for a moment before smirking, "You know what we do with spies in this village?" When none of the genin dared to answer, the man chuckled. It was a deep, reverberating sound which was anything but amusing to the people on the receiving end. "I'll tell you how we deal with them," he said with a smirk, "They're given to me…"

[…]

Tsunade was stalling them, which was completely evident to Sasuke, but try as he might, the Uchiha could no more make her see reason than either Naruto or Kakashi. The blond hag might as well have told them they were banned from the Chunin Exams, as least such a thing would be less insulting than sending them off on a distraction disguised as a menial mission.

Sasuke sent a withering glare at the Hokage, "I can't believe you're going to sit there and insult our intelligence. Naruto I can understand, but Kakashi and myself?"

"No one is insulting your intelligence," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples in irritation, "But if you are claiming intelligence, please try and look at this from another viewpoint."

"I'm trying," the raven growled, "But all I can see is you sitting here, using politics as justification for manipulating our squads. These children have a right to participate and you're—"

At that moment the door to the Hokage's office opened. The four people embroiled in the argument paused, turning around to see who had intruded. Sasuke got an eyeful:

All nine of their genin were dragged into the office by none other than Head Anbu Interrogator: Ibiki Morino. The man dwarfed all of the kids, who were cowering as if they had been caught cheating on a math exam… which was ridiculous because they had been outside in the waiting room only moments ago. Sasuke raised and eyebrow at Ibiki, but the man said nothing to explain himself.

Tsunade was the one to finally break the silence, "Ibiki… why on earth are you dragging children in here? I'm busy."

"I can see that, ma'am," Ibiki nodded respectfully, "But I thought you would like to know the results of the first exam."

"So that's it then," Tsunade smiled politely. She regarded Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi with indifference, "This argument is now void… there's no way I can admit your teams now that the exams process has entered its second stage."

"But!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke was about to add his own thoughts, ones that would more eloquently argue their standing point, but he was beaten to the punch by Kakashi.

"Actually…" the silver haired man drawled, removing a scroll from his vest, "If my understanding of the exam rules are correct… then a genin can be admitted into Chunin exams, or surpass the first exam completely and go into the second exam, if given a written recommendation is offered, signed by no less than three jonin officials. Am I not correct, Ibiki?"

"Hatake has a point, ma'am," Ibiki grinned at Kakashi's shrewdness.

"You would be correct," Tsunade nodded, "But such a document would have to be put together, processed, and signed before the beginning of the exam period."

"Then it's a good thing I have such a document right here," Kakashi's eye twinkled with victory, light glinting almost menacingly off his forehead protector's metal emblem. He unfurled the scroll and laid it upon the desk, "You'll see that it was signed yesterday evening… and that Naruto's, Sasuke's, and my signature are readily available, affirming our genin of their ability and readiness for the exams."

"But I didn't—" Naruto began.

"You don't remember our meeting last night?" Kakashi asked the dobe with amusement.

"But you said it was the mission scroll!"

"Come on Naruto," Sasuke said sternly, "You of all people should know that mission scrolls are turned in by team."

"But Kakashi…" the blond looked from the silver haired jonin to the raven, suddenly realizing he'd been duped.

Admittedly, Sasuke had been played as well. He hadn't realized what he was signing, but he had known Kakashi was up to something. Unfortunately, the raven had been to busy with other thoughts to interrogate Kakashi about his subterfuge; therefore, he had let it slide…. Thankfully the old man had been up to something beneficial. With this scroll they would be able to put their genin into the Chunin Exams. Sasuke smirked in triumph as he noticed the bulging vein on Tsunade's forehead; she knew they'd outsmarted her… even if Naruto wasn't aware of it yet. There was no way that she could get around this.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

"Under normal circumstances," Tsunade said, suddenly very calm, "I would be forced to accept such a document, but seeing as how the three jonin have personal stake in these genin… you cannot say you are removed from bias. Plus, Naruto doesn't seem to have any recollection of signing that document, so I cannot safely say that his signature wasn't forged. The matter is closed."

She held up a hand, preventing Sasuke from interrupting. He was forced to stand there, silently simmering in rage at the Hokage's stubborn denial of their rights.

"So… Ibiki," the Hokage said, returning to the odd scene of nine children grouped around the bear-like man, "Would you mind explaining to me why you brought these children into my office with you?"

"Funny you should ask about that, Hokage-sama," the man grinned looking down at the children, "Did you know that your office had been bugged?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, especially when Sainō and Gemma snickered at the comment and the other genin were trying their hardest to keep a straight face. Apparently Ibiki had just made an inside joke which the four people in the Hokage's office weren't aware of.

"What do you mean, bugged?" Tsunaded raised an eyebrow.

"Quite simple, ma'am," he pointed over to the trail of ants which were now evacuating the room, "Each of these children had your office under surveillance. They knew everything you were saying, and I can't say they looked too pleased with the information. I wasn't privy to the intel, but from what I've gathered… it has to do with my exam."

"You are right about one thing, Interrogator Morino," Tsunade said sharply, "You aren't privy to that information."

"No disrespect meant, ma'am," Ibiki continued, "But if these genin were in the exam I just proctored… I promise you they would have passed. I have no doubt about it. So, and I mean no disrespect by what I'm about to do…" At saying this, the large man walked over to the Hokage's desk, grabbing a pen as he bent over, and he signed his own name to Kakashi's scroll. "I'm going to give my own affirmation to their ability to take the exam…"

Tsunade looked like she was about ready to explode. Sasuke thought she might have a coronary on the spot, because of how quickly her face began to turn a violent shade of red. Both he and Naruto took a step back, expecting the immediate explosion of noise, but Ibiki interrupted her, stalling her rage.

"On one condition…" the interrogator said, turning to face the children. The entire room went silent, even Tsunade becoming momentarily calm, as they waited for the large man to finish.

"If any one of you should fail to pass the second exam… should you not make it into the third portion…" Ibiki took the time to look each of the genin in the eyes, "You will be forever banned from taking the Chunin Exams. If I were you, I would think on this closely. It would be much easier to take the Hokage's advice and wait two years… rather than risk permanent status as a genin."

[…]

Naruto's rage and frustration melted out of him as soon as Ibiki signed the admittance scroll… but they were quickly replaced by fear and anxiety as the Interrogator announced his stipulation. It was very similar to the ultimatum they were given during their Chunin Exam. Admittedly they had been forced to accept a test question; whereas, this choice was far more difficult to make. Ibiki was asking the children to make a split second decision about their future… one that was very obvious in its weight. Naruto almost wanted to tell them that the question was part of the test, but from the way Ibiki was stern-faced, the blond had difficultly telling if that was the case.

Not one of the genin moved to answer. Naruto could see they were all nervous, even though some of them hid it well. In fact, Jira looked so calm; Naruto half expected him to walk up and pronounce he was ready.

The blond wasn't the only one in the room surprise when Kit suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I accept!" the small redhead shouted, "I don't care what the condition is! I'm ready to take the exams." The small boy, shorter than even Fumato if only by an inch or so, looked up at Naruto with determination, "I'm going to make you proud, dad!"

The sheer amount of certainty in Kitaka's voice made Naruto's heart swell with pride. If it wouldn't have embarrassed the boy, or ruined the moment, Naruto would have rushed over and hugged his son in a split-second. Thankfully, he was about to maintain his self-control, which allowed time for the next genin to speak.

Not surprisingly, Jira was the next to walk forward, quickly followed by Fumato.

"I'm ready too," Jira smiled down at Kit, "As my brother said… we have some very dedicated teachers who we owe this much to."

"Yes," Fuma nodded, looking down that floor.

Compared to Jira and Kitaka, the little Uchiha looked so much younger in Naruto's eyes. His charcoal eyes were filled with hesitancy, but Naruto knew it stemmed from the sudden attention. Fuma had never liked being in the spotlight and he hated people staring or fawning over him… which was unavoidable considering his parents.

Still, seeing all three of his children standing side-by-side in support of one another, Naruto felt a sense of satisfaction at the scene, knowing they were a family despite their difficulties. A sideways glace at Sasuke show a similar sense of emotion playing across the Uchiha's face, and Naruto's heart fluttered uncontrollably for a moment… everything was getting better.

One-by-one the rest of the spoke up, acknowledging their acceptance of the term, visibly encouraged by Kitaka and his brothers. Once they had all agree, Ibiki turned to the Hokage and shrugged. "I told you, ma'ma," he laughed, "They were meant to pass."

"Alright!" Tsunade barked, "Ibiki, get them he hell out of here! All of you, out! Go prep yourselves. The second exam starts tomorrow morning, and I'm not going to put it on hold for any of you!"

Naruto made to slip out with the children, but Tsunade's barking made him freeze in his tracks.

"Oh no! You three are staying put!"

Naruto looked to his left and noticed Sasuke and Kakashi frozen in similar poses of sneakiness, trying to get away from the Hokage's wrath.

"Turn around, all of you!"

Slowly and fearfully, Naruto complied with her command, turning to face the old battle-axe and half-expecting her to start yelling; however, the smile on her lips made him even more uncomfortable. Kakashi let out a small cough, obviously trying to relieve his own tension.

"You three have made this exam period infinitely more difficult than it should have been…" she whispered in a sinister way, "Therefore I have the perfect punishment for each of you."

"But, Baa-chan!" Naruto whined.

"Shut up, twerp!" Tsunade snapped, "You fucked it up, so you're going to make certain everything goes smoothly. Especially you, Kakashi!" She pointed a finger at him menacingly, "Which brings me back to my punishment. You're going to proctor the exams."

"What?" The three jonin exclaimed.

"You heard me," Tsunade leaned back in her chair, obviously content with her punishment and knowing full well it would keep the three of them busy. "Kakashi will be head proctor for the second exam, Naruto will proctor the third exam preliminaries… provided enough genin pass to require them, and Sasuke will proctor the finals along with the proctor chosen by Kirigakure. Whoever is not head proctor will be overseers… keep an eye on your genin, gentlemen." Before any of them could protest, Tsunade gave a thundering yell, "Now get the hell out of my office!"

[…]

"Ugh! I can't believe how difficult she was being! It was so stupid, and Kakashi! What makes him think he can take advantage of me? Huh! Now I have to write up a mission scroll, and I have to proctor the exams… when am I going to find time to turn that paperwork in? It's not fair!"

Naruto hadn't stopped ranting since they left the Hokage's office, and Sasuke was getting a little irritated from it. They were almost to the Uchiha district, and for anyone who didn't know their Konoha geography… that was a long walk for someone to rant. Sasuke wasn't even certain if Naruto had taken a breath once he started ranting, but surely it wasn't good for someone to yell so much.

"_No_," Sasuke decided with himself. It wasn't good for someone to yell and rant that much. He had Naruto's health to think about. The dobe was lucky Sasuke put such concern into his well being; other wise Naruto would end up someone only the gods could discern.

Finally deciding on his course of action, Sasuke wait for his blond to turn and look at him.

"And Ibiki! He just about gave me a heart attack," Naruto almost continued walking, not noticing Sasuke had stopped. Quickly the blonde turned around, "Sasuke? Are you listenin—"

Naruto's words were cut off by Sasuke's lips. The raven placed a hand on both sides of Naruto's face and pulled him close, catching the blond completely unaware. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke expertly maneuvered his tongue to prevent any further speech. The raven inhaled sharply, literally taking Naruto's breath away, and wrapping his arms around the blond to keep him supported—because it looked as if Naruto could very well faint.

A quiet Naruto was an enjoyable Naruto; Sasuke had decided this a long time ago. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy talking to Naruto, but sometimes silence allowed them to communicate differently; such as when Naruto began to kiss him back, completely unknowing of the audience that they had begun to attract.

Those few impassioned moments were enough for Sasuke to enjoy, but, like always, Naruto quickly gained his senses and pushed the raven away… roughly.

"What the hell, Teme!"  
"Don't complain," Sasuke smirked, "Consider it payback for your taunt in the forest."  
"But… I did that in private!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke shrugged, "Consider it payback for me listening to thirty minutes of rambling. I'm not Oyone, so it's not my job to listen to people's problems."

"We're practically married!" Naruto shot back, "That falls into the job description."  
"True," Sasuke raised his eyebrows suggestively, "So do other things… repeatedly."  
"You are so…"  
"Charming?" Sasuke supplied.

"I was going to go with conceited," Naruto stuck his tongue out.  
"At least it got you to stop thinking about Kakashi," Sasuke sighed, "And it's not like you didn't enjoy it."  
"What can I say? I get excited when people watch," Naruto grinned seductively.

Sasuke knew what he was doing. Naruto was trying to flip the tables and make Sasuke feel uncomfortable about people watching. The way the blond was looking at him, Sasuke feared he might be pounced upon and molested right there in the street. He was slightly uncomfortable about the prospect, not because of people watching, because gravel was never enjoyable when it was trying to use your back as a means to meet your spine.

"Save it for the house," Sasuke said coolly, "We're only a few minutes away, besides… you never knew what perverts might be watching." That seemed to calm down the blond's libido considerably. Naruto looked around suspiciously, inching closer to Sasuke, which the Uchiha didn't mind.

"Speaking of Kakashi…" Naruto muttered, "Didn't he leave Baa-chan's office with us?"

Sasuke sighed and pulled his dobe into a half-chokehold/half-hug as they walked back to their house amid a torrent of protests from Naruto and responsive Uchiha smirks.

[…]

"I thought I told you to get the hell out of my office," Tsunade growled, throwing a venomous look at Kakashi.

"You know you secretly want me," Kakashi teased.

"Yes," Tsunaded nodded, "Drawn and quartered… unfortunately I need you alive to make my life a little less chaotic; though, you seem to be doing an excellent job of failing at that."

"I aim to please…" Kakashi chuckled.

With another growl, Tsunade threw a nearby scroll at Kakashi's head. The jonin dodged, but just barely. "Why are you still here?"

Kakashi sighed and adopted a professional manner, at least for the moment, "If you want me to proctor the second exam… I need to know which genin are taking it. Knowing the participants will allow me to assign them the appropriate overseers."

"You do know that no one can interfere with the exams," Tsunade cautioned. "People die every year."  
"Which is a shame," Kakashi said glumly, "But I understand… still, we don't want a repeat of Naruto's year."  
"That's funny," Tsunade chuckled.  
"What is?"  
"You called it Naruto's year… when did you go from having Sasuke on a pedestal to Naruto?"

Kakashi paused and thought about her words. It was true… Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all took the exams that year. Kakashi had even ignored Naruto in order to personally train Sasuke, so why all of a sudden was the old jonin referring to the year as simply being about Naruto?

"I can't honestly say…" he mused, "But… I have to admit that if it came down to it, if something happened between the two of them? I would choose Naruto without hesitation."

Tsunade nodded, "So would everyone here, even Sasuke himself. The idiot has a tendency to grow on people without them noticing."

"I agree…" Kakashi was about to say more, but a name on the genin list caught his eye, completely distracting him. "Interesting…"  
"What?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.  
"We have six villages with genin. Who's the new addition?"  
"Darunōgakure."  
"Village hidden in the shadows…" Kakashi paused, "Why have I heard that name before?"

"I don't know where you would have," Tsunade frowned, "I have no recollection, but apparently Hiruzen authorized them to enter, as well as the first Kages."

"No…" Kakashi muttered, going over to the wall where the Hokage scrolls were indexed, "I know I've heard that name before." He began pulling scrolls out, looking at them, and returning them in a frenzy.

"What are you looking for?" Tsunade barked.  
"Old Chunin exam records."  
"Well, you're in the wrong place!"  
"Where should I be looking?" Kakashi asked, looking over his shoulder.  
"Top right, third compartment and down," Tsunade sighed, "Stop making such a mess."  
"Mah…" Kakashi said, opening a scroll, "You don't ever read them."  
"That is beside the point!"  
"The point is…" Kakashi said, perusing the scroll, "That I was right. Look here."

He dropped the scroll on the desk before Tsunade and pointed to a list of four names, "Right there, Darunōgakure entered three genin and a supervising jonin."

"This was the year you took the Chunin exams," Tsunade stated, looking up at Kakashi incredulously, "Do you remember them?"  
Kakashi shook his head, "I don't remember much about my exams… I only remember my final match."  
"I recall it as well," Tsunade spoke with suddenly realization, "Didn't you fight a girl from Suna?"

"No…" Kakashi said darkly, "I fought a demon."

"That's right…" Tsunade ventured tentatively, "Minato had to step in didn't he?"

Kakashi nodded, his eye pouring over the names of his opponents in that Chunin exam, hoping that one of them would jump out at him.

"I've tried… so many times to remember her name, but every time I think I've remembered… all I see are those eyes," Kakashi swallowed the memory came up fresh in his mind. He hadn't gone over it in years. "Those eyes," he continued, "They were dark… cold… like ice, but sharp as steel. I've never seen anything like them in all my years as a jonin."

"That girl went on to win the tournament that year, didn't she," Tsunade frowned, "I can't recall her name either."

That was all Kakashi needed, his eyes immediately shot up to the list of finalists, one in particular: the winner of the Chunin Tournament. "Kurani Akanaru…" as he read the name, Kakashi knew instantly it wasn't the woman he had faced.

"That's not her."

"Well I have an older brain than yours, Kakashi," Tsunade sighed, "If you don't remember how can you expect me to?"

"I have a legitimate excuse for not remembering," he countered, "She knocked me unconscious… I didn't remember anything about the fight."

"You got beat by a girl," Tsunade chuckled, "That's probably a blessing in disguise."

The comment didn't deserve a rebuttal, so Kakashi didn't waste his breath with a defense. He rolled up the scroll calmly and returned it to the shelf. "I'll get to work on the security detail for the second exam, Hokage. I'll have a scroll on your desk by this evening," Kakashi nodded with stiff politeness and exited.

[…]

Kitaka was busy maneuvering through the hustle and bustle of evening pedestrian traffic down in the market district. He had come down here to purchase new kunai for the exam tomorrow, having used most of his on the mission and failing to retrieve them. It had been an error on his part, but he felt excused due to extenuating circumstances.

Besides, it would be better to have new weapons for the exam… they would be in top condition and he could spend the evening practicing with them, getting the appropriate feel for their weight. It would also allow him to get some much needed alone time, because, despite things in the Hokage's office, Kit still needed to vent. He found that inanimate objects made the best targets.

He was so busy with his own thoughts, so focused on his destination; when he turned the corner to head for the blacksmith's shop, Kitaka ran head on into another pedestrian.

"Watch where you are going, boy."

Kit rubbed his head and looked up, and continued looking up until he was looking into a pair of blood red eyes, which regarded him as little more than an annoyance. They belonged to the largest girl he'd ever seen; she looked to be Jira's age, but she was almost as tall as Naruto and she had dark skin, darker than the boy had ever seen. The sword on her back was longer than Kit was tall and the more he looked at her, the more frightening she appeared, with her tattoos spiraling down her arms and vicious looking throwing axes sheathed at her waist.

"Move aside, Mavrí," another female voice said from behind the ginormous girl. The dark skinned one, called Mavrí nodded and sidestepped, revealing a small doll-like girl… and—

Kit's hand instinctively shot for his weapon; because the girl who had spoken looked almost identical to the female ninja he had seen murder the gang leader. His reaction apparently amused the three kunoichi, because they smiled at him but didn't bother to reach for weapons of their own.

"Is this a standard greeting in Konoha, or are you people just jumpy today?" the doll girl asked him.

Kit made to respond when the other girl spoke.

"Eira, we've been over this… it's best if you don't talk to people," the girl with black hair was a bit cruel in the way she spoke to her companion, but the doll girl only kept smiling.

"You keep saying that, Cala, as if it is going to work."

"One of these days I'm going to force you to be quiet," Cala snipped, turning her ice, blue eyes on Kit, "And what do we have here? A midget?"

The hair on the back of his neck bristled indignantly at the comment, and Kit snapped back, "You're not that much taller!"

"But I _am _taller," the other girl smirked, making a dismissive wave with her hand.

Kit noticed that she had the same blade-like nails as the ninja woman in Ishitohi, and he stood his ground, "It's doesn't matter how big you are… what matters is how well you fight with what you have."

The girl smiled at him coldly; and then, faster than Kit could react, she backhanded him out of her way. The redheaded boy hit the ground hard, flat on his back. The impact nearly winded him and he could feel the harsh sting from the blow against his cheek. A shadow suddenly blocked the light from his view, and Kit looked up to see the girl standing over him.

"You look good down there, midget," She sneered, "Just stay out of my way like that… and you might not have to feel my hand again. Although... men _are _stupid, so I reckon I should do it again just to make certain you understand me…?"

As she raised her hand again, Kit lashed out with his right leg, aiming for her knee. His attack never landed before it was caught by the tall, dark skinned girl. She looked at Kit and gave him a looked which was easy to read. It said: "don't".

"Mavrí?" the girl called Cala looked at her companion with irritation, "Did you just save this midget's life?"

"Yes, miss," Mavrí bowed her head, "It wouldn't be good if you killed someone not involved with the exams."

Cala seemed to contemplate this before she turned to Kit with a harsh glare, those icy eyes sending a chill straight to Kitaka's soul, "You're lucky, midget... Mavrí has a good point. You're also lucky that you aren't in the exams, or I might make a special trip just to find you."

Having said that, Cala turned away and walked down the street as if nothing happened, her black skirt swishing with the sway of her hips… as if taunting Kit to get up and try again. Kit wasn't foolish enough to do that; his instincts told him to stay down. The tall girl and the doll followed close behind their obvious leader, and soon the trio was quickly out of sight.

Pulling himself up off the ground, Kit dusted off his maroon sirwal. His cheek stung and he knew there would be a bright red imprint to mark his humiliation; however, all the eyes which were trying to discretely watch him didn't matter, not when Kit thought about the last thing Cala had said. If she found out he was in the exams… he could be in big trouble.

He didn't think there was a way Cala could actually be the same ninja as the one he had seen back in Ishitohi. There was no way that woman could have made herself so young, nor could she have gotten into the Chunin exams with a genin team… surely the Hokage or someone would have noticed a murderous psychopath trying to enter an exam with children? No, Kit was fairly certain that was impossible, but he was also fairly certain that the two women were connected. Their resemblance was uncanny…

He made his way towards the Blacksmith's shop once more, much more alert this time, and Kit also made a mental note to avoid those three ninja at all cost.

* * *

**_-Notes-_**

**Oyone **- a medical-nin, who was the closest Naruto character whom I could find that sounded close to Oprah. I figured some of their job description would be to act like psychiatrists.  
**Sirwal **- pants of middle eastern origins, best reference I can give you is Gaara during the chunin exams... or Aladdin from the disney movie (though his were GREATLY exaggerated with the puffiness)


	9. Kakashi's in Charge: Chunin Exams Begin!

**Hello to my readers!**

For more information about why chapter 8 is being split into three parts check my profile section underneath "current projects". I'm not going to waste your time with it here. Just know that chapter 8 is going to be in three parts. Yes.

As always I want to say thank you to the readers who keep inspiring me, urging me, and pestering me to update. Galbert and Kreatyve, I wouldn't be updating near as much without the two of you, so Mwah! Much love in your direction, for your support and reviews and help. I also want to thank my other reviewers who have given me points on where I can fix things. Much appreciated. And without wasting any more of your time: Let the Chunin Exams begin!

**_~Sarai_**

* * *

_**Naruto: Kurashio**_  
_**Chapter 8 – Cold Currents p. 1**_

Five in the morning…

Nothing is supposed to be awake at five in the morning, or at least Kit was fairly certain of that fact. He couldn't remember the last time _anyone _in his family had been awake at five in the morning, much less dressed, completely geared up, and standing in a large, rocky field while the morning mists did their best to make everything damp.

They were in the large clearing before entrance to the Mountain Training Area, waiting for further instructions on the process of the second exam. Having missed the first exam portion, Kit had no idea what had happened or how the exams were conducted. Several of the genin teams were currently discussing it; so Kit was trying his best to eavesdrop… but the kids weren't talking about specifics.

One particular genin from Kirigakure was bragging about how easily he had thought the first exam to be, claiming that he would easily be making it through this exam… and once it was finished he would be on his own turf for the finals. Kit found him to be extremely loud and doubted if he was really strong. In many cases the small redhead thought people like him to be better at talking than following up with actions.

"Gah…" Sainō let out a groaning yawn before he plopped onto the ground, "How can anyone function like this?"

There was a snort of derision from Kira, "If you'd gone to sleep early, this wouldn't be an issue. Ninja are supposed to be prepared."

Kit was prone to siding with the brown haired boy, but, seeing as how the other genin teams were all congregated and ready, he didn't want to show any weakness. He also was trying his best to keep an eye out for those three, female kunoichi, the ones he'd run into yesterday evening. The last thing his team needed was a confrontation with those three…

As luck would have it, the three genin from his thoughts chose that exact moment to come strolling up the path from the village. Cala, the girl who'd threatened him yesterday, was walking at the front, flanked by the tall girl and the doll girl. She made no effort to divert her course around the standing grounds, and the other genin teams were more than willing to sidle out of the way, giving her a wide berth. Thankfully the shuffling of bodies hid Kitaka and his team from view.

"Kit!" Kira hissed in his ear, "Isn't that…?"  
"I don't know," the redhead replied.  
"It's so strange… it can't be coincidence."  
"Hey! That girl looks like the creepy lady from Ishitohi," Sainō chose to butt in.  
"Yes, we've covered that," Kira growled, "Thanks for coming to the party _late_, as usual."

"Those three know how to make an entrance…"

Kit and his teammates spun around to see Fumato and his team standing behind them.

Konoha's Team 7 looked ready to do battle. Gemma was wearing a coat similar to his father's. It had a high collar and thick, black material which was smart considering the temperatures up in the mountains; the dark fabric would absorb heat from the sun. This was why Fuma was wearing a black jumpsuit and one of Naruto's old jackets, which was a bit too big for him but it was held in place by the short sword strapped to his back. Meanwhile, Ame, who had spoken to Kit's team, was dressed in a dark blue kimono and black hakama; he looked as lethal as much as he looked ready to dance at the Spring Festival.

"You know who they are?" Kira asked.

"I did a little digging around last evening," Ame nodded, "I wanted to get an idea which teams stood out from the first exam… those three finished in about ten minutes."

"What!" Ame's statement seemed to draw in other listeners other than the Konoha genin gathered.

"Yes, I was surprised myself, but apparently they gave the protector their exams within minutes of starting, including an answer to the question which wouldn't be asked until fifteen minutes before the close of the exam…"

"But how?" Kit asked, looking nervously over his shoulder as if Cala would appear there any moment.  
"They cheated, obviously," Ame stated with a yawn, "But since none of the exam monitors could catch how they did it… they passed."  
"That's so cool!" Sainō grinned, "I wish we could have taken a test where cheating was allowed!"  
Kira rolled her eyes as the boy, "It's not that simple..."

"It doesn't' matter," Kit cut them off before either of them could bicker. He turned back to Ame, "Which village are they representing?"

"A new entry to the exams…" Ame said matter-of-factly, "They are from the Village Hidden in the Shadows."

"I don't like them," Fuma said quietly.

For once, Kitaka was inclined to agree with his younger brother. Even if Cala wasn't the same ninja he had seen in Ishitohi, she and her companions gave off that same eerie sense of discomfort that he'd felt from the woman in the alleyway; then there was the way Cala had to be convinced not to kill anyone outside of the exams… almost as if she would have killed him if it were possible. Cala didn't even appear to hesitate on the prospect.

Kit hadn't realized how much he'd been brooding about these frightening prospects, but he was brought back to the conversation by Ame's next statement.

"They won't be the only team to watch out for," he muttered, "From what I've gathered, Sound Village also sent a trio of genin who performed well in the exam… and Suna has two teams this year, one of their genin was personally trained by the Kazekage himself."

"Dad?" Kit frowned, "He was training someone?"

"It's not unheard of," Gemma interjected, "Lady Tsunade was trained by the Third Hokage, and most of the Kages take exceptionally promising students… like your mom, Sakura-sama."

"She's not our mom," Fuma and Kit said at the same time. They looked at each other and then quickly looked away. Agreeing two times in less than an hour, today was getting worse by the minute.

"Well, parentage aside," Ame said, obviously changing the topic, "Many of the teams have genin trained by the Kages. It's a fairly common practice."

"Ok," Kira said pointedly, "Then why hasn't the Hokage trained any of us?"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Ame smirked.  
"No," she shot back.

"Anyone can be trained by a Kage if they are good enough…" the pale boy pointed at Kit, "But you are the only ones being trained by Sasuke Uchiha. Think about that unfair advantage."

"Are you trying to sound smart again, Ame?"

The pale boy turned, "Ah! Jira, so nice of you to get out of bed… I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to come and get you."  
"Heh," the older Uzumaki sibling chuckled, "I was here waiting before you'd even finished brushing you hair."  
"You have no idea how much time this takes," Ame shrugged, feigning exhaustion, "I was up before dawn getting ready."

"Enough you two," Hana hopped in between them, "We all get it… you're both fighting to see who's better… none of us really care."  
"Actually," Sainō chimed in, "I was really wondering…"  
"Shut up," Kira smacked him over the head.

"Attention… all annoying children!" Kakashi's voice suddenly boomed over the area, "Especially my three, listen up!"

In a swirl of smoke and leaves, the silver haired jonin appeared standing above the archway for the Mountain Area Entrance. Several of the genin gather muttered under their breath, impressed with Kakashi's entrance, while others turned halfway to regard the unknown speaker. As for Teams 3, 5, and 7, they all rolled their eyes and let out a groan.

[…]

"I heard that," Kakashi muttered. Taking a look at his exam scroll, he cleared his throat and began, "Alright, kids. My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I'm your proctor for the second exam. If you'll look to my right and my left, you can see several other jonin. These are the exam moderators. They are there for your protection, but they will only act if you ask for assistance or if you life is in unexpected peril. They will not interfer in any fights you start amonst yourselves. First rule of the exam: ask for assistance from a jonin officer, and you fail."

With a graceful leap, Kakashi landed in front of the amassed genin, "Second rule: if anyone is caught attempting to leave the exam area, which is contained within the boundaries of Mountain Training Area, you will be disqualified from the exams. Are there any questions?"

Several hands shot up.

"Are there any questions not pertaining to the content of the exam?"

All hands went down.

Kakashi chuckled, "So… everyone wants to know what they have to do, well… let's take a look shall we?"

"You mean you haven't even read the scroll?" Naruto shouted from somewhere down the line of jonin officers.

"Quiet in the ranks!" Kakashi snapped.

He opened the scroll and perused it quickly. "_Fairly standard_," he thought, "_Lets see… yeah, I can understand… wait a moment. Orb of Heavenly Fire? Orb of Underworld Ice? Who the hell writes this nonsense?_"

With a heavy sigh, Kakashi tossed the scroll over his shoulder, ignoring the protests from Naruto and several other jonin officers. "Ok, listen up," the elder jonin crossed his arms and stared the genin down with his one eye, which was quite intimidating when it came from Kakashi. "I've never believed in beating around the bush, and I don't like calling things other than what they are. The lot of you are ninja, so I'm going to brief you on this exam as if you are ninja. Pay attention."

With a quick reach into his vest Kakashi pulled out two items, one with each hand, and presented them to the gathered crowd. "Your goal is to gather these… a red orb and a blue orb. The scroll wants me to give them some lofty name, but it doesn't mean a damn thing. Here are the important facts: there are forty-three genin teams and fifteen of pair of orbs. If any of you have trouble with math… that means less than half of you have a chance to pass. The orbs are located inside individual shrines spaced across the mountain terrain. Each shrine will contain either a blue or red orb… thirty shrines total."

With dexterous ease, the silver-haired jonin began to juggle the two orbs with one hand, "You will not only have to locate a pair of orbs for your team to pass, but you must navigate the terrain, and your opponents, and the natural hazards to bring the orbs to the temple spire on top of Mount Hinokage. In case you think this might be a little easy…"

With a chuckle Kakashi dropped both of his orbs to the ground. The glass fixtures shattered instantly, showering the ground before him with ruby and sapphire filaments so small there would be no chance of repairing them.

"Broken orbs are not accepted…" Kakashi turned to leave, but paused, "Oh… and there are now fourteen sets of orbs remaining. Report to the registration table to receive your entry number. Teams will be let in on three minute increments… starting now."

[…]

"What number did we get?" Hana jittered with excitement. Jira gave her a look which clearly told her to calm down, but it did very little to ease her excitement.

"Sixteen," the blonde said, offering Hana the slip of paper as a means of preoccupying her.  
"That's not _too _bad. We're still close to the front."  
"Closer than we are," Kitaka muttered walking up with his own slip of paper.

Hana bounced over to the little redhead, Ying jumping from her shoulder onto Kit's. "What number didja get, Kit? Haha… get—Kit… it rhymes."

Kit looked at her like she was mildly insane, to which Hana merely shrugged and snatched his piece of paper. "Oh… wow," her eye's widened, "You're number thirty-eight. Tough luck."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Kit muttered.

"It's not as bad as you think, hothead," Ame said strolling up and ruffling Kit's unruly hair, "You get to see where a majority of your opponents have gone. It gives you a better chance to pick your destination without a chance of being overrun."

"Pretty boy here has a point, Kit," Jira walked up to the little gathering, "Must mean he's planning to do the same thing."

"On the contrary," Ame said, offering the blonde Uzumaki brother his team's paper.  
"Fifteen?" Jira asked, looking over the top of the paper at the long haired boy.  
"Fifteen," Ame's eyes sparkled, "Looks like you'll be chasing after me yet again… and you're one to be talking about pretty."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jira bristled.  
"Only that pretty people are good judges of… well… other pretty people."

Hana leapt into the fray before Jira could shout back a response, "Both of you shouldn't be worrying about it! Half the girls in Konoha think you're pretty… while the other half thinks Ame is to die for. That's why you have fan clubs… yeesh!"

"And that's my cue to leave," Kit groaned, miming sickness and nausea before brushing Ying off his shoulder.

"And which fan club are you member of?" Ame asked wickedly.  
"Who ever said I was a girl?" Hana grinned, sticking her tongue out at the taller boy.  
"No one," Ame and Jira said simultaneously.

"Good boys," Hana's grin was both wicked and gleeful. Training men was just like training any other animal… they react to stimuli, and if anyone was foolish enough to judge her as a girl… well, Hana wasn't against giving them a little bit of pain.

"On that note, I'm going to leave before crazy here has an opportunity to give me rabies… or squirrel disease… or whatever it is that makes her look like that," Ame waved a farewell, and dashed off before Hana even had a chance to retaliate.

"Why that stuck-up…"  
"Hana," Jira interrupted her, "Focus, please! Ame was going to join his team, which means we're up soon."

"Right!" she declared with a vigorous nod. Hana clenched her fist and turned to face the entrance for the mountain training area. On each of her shoulders Ying and Yang mimicked the pose, chattering energetically.

They reached the gate just in time to see Fumato, Ame, and Gemma dash through the opening at the clang of a bell. The gate shut behind them, and they were approached by a jonin officer. He checked each of their names against a list, as well as their registration number, before he cleared them to go, "You'll be entering in less than a minute. Good luck!"

"That was odd…" Hana frowned looking back to where the jonin was checking the next group of genin, "Why would we need to be checked in twice?"

"Don't you remember what happened when…" Jira stopped himself, "No, of course you wouldn't know. They have higher security here because of what happened when Dad took the Chunin exams."

"You're referring to the war with Otagakure?" Chino spoke for the first time, obviously glad to have something take his mind off the coming exam. He'd been nervous, which kept him from worrying about food—something very unlike a member of the Akimichi clan.

"Oh, yeah," Hana blanched, embarrassed that she had for gotten something so integral to their village's history.

Jira merely shrugged it off, "They check everyone multiple times. That jonin probably had seals on him. If he had suspected that we were using a _henge_ _jutsu_; then he would have used one to reveal the ruse."

At that, the bell sounded, and the gates whooshed open. Without hesitation Jira dashed through the entrance, with Hana and Chino quick on his heels. They had practiced numerous exercises moving as a team, and, thanks to Naruto's persistence in their training, it had become second nature to the three of them. When Jira moved, they moved. Hana didn't mind following, because she would be the first one to admit that she didn't see enough or pay enough attention to lead the team.

On the other hand, Jira saw everything much more clearly than any genin Hana knew, so, despite their differences, she was more than happy to follow his lead… which was currently taking them up the side of a rock formation.

As they reached the top, Hana heard the familiar shout of "_Byakugan_!", and she instantly knew that Jira had expanded his sight further than she could ever see, even when using the same technique.

"So what's the plan?" she smiled, looking around sheepishly, "This area is _much_ larger than the forest training area, where the exam was held last time Konoha hosted."

For several moments Jira was silent; then he abruptly pointed to the southwest. "There is a shrine about two thousand yards that way… no one has touched it yet. Chino and I will go to collect the orb. I need you, Ying, and Yang to take south, southeast, and east… see if you can find another, and then we will meet back up. You'll be able to find us?"

"Of course… I have eyes," Hana said, rolling them.

With a smirk Jira nodded, "Thirty minutes then… and be careful."

"Never am," she laughed, leaping from the precipice and flinging both of her squirrels in opposite directions.

[…]

Kakashi had been surveying the start of the exam quietly from the sidelines. Thus far there was very little for him to be concerned with, but the elder jonin couldn't shake a feeling in his stomach. Normally one to pass off such things as indigestion, Kakashi had ignored it for the better part of the morning; however, when the feeling persisted well into near afternoon, he couldn't help but become slightly anxious.

He'd been watching each group of genin enter the training area with a chary eye, along with adding extra precautions to the screening process that would admit genin into the exam. Kakashi wasn't going to take any chances.

"Number twenty-two!" the jonin covering the gate called out.

Three genin from Sunagakure strolled up to the starting point and began the screening process, while the gates opened to let the group ahead of them enter the mountainous terrain. Kakashi made a visual check of the Suna team, comparing the genin to the list he had in his possession.

"Hmm… the Kazekage's protégé," he mused, "Hopefully he will be less trouble than Gaara was."

Kakashi watched the trio of sand-nin as they waited for the gates to open. If he was being honest, they looked nothing like Gaara and his siblings; where Gaara had been confident in his posture, and almost murderous with his glare, his pupil looked… nervous. It was a relief to see. Hopefully the Suna ninjas would actually _act _human this year, but, despite their nervous appearance, Kakashi couldn't ignore the fact that the three had offered a good performance in the first exam.

"Number twenty-three!"

As the team moved on, Kakashi's attention was drawn to the next set of genin; the trio from Darunōgakure was up next. He had no idea what he could refer to them as. None of the Shadow Village ninja had shown an particular traits, their village name was nearly impossible to shorten into anything complementary, and the words which kept popping up around Konoha all rhymed with "itch"… and being the exam proctor, Kakashi felt such nicknames would be inappropriate—for the time being.

"Sasuke," Kakashi called through his communicator.  
Within seconds, the Uchiha appeared in a clould of smoke, "Hn?"  
"Whatever happened to the days when you used to respect me?" Kakashi whined.  
"They ended when you became a whining pervert," Sasuke retorted.  
"Mah," Kakashi waved dismissively, "I've always been a whining… wait, ignore that I was about to confirm that."

"What do you want Kakashi?"  
"I want you to follow genin group number twenty-three."  
Sasuke took a moment to look down at the starting gate "The shady trio?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "What for?"

"Shady trio?" Kakashi asked rather than answer Sasuke's question.

"Naruto's name for them," Sasuke sighed, "He felt bad calling a group of kids… _bitches,_ but from what I've heard about that isn't nearly rude enough."  
"Well, I've heard other people call them witches, but I don't know if they were spooked…"  
"Or just trying to use a polite rhyme?" Sasuke offered.  
"Exactly."  
"Naruto has a way with nicknames…" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"That why you let him call you a teme?" Kakashi goaded, and he was rewarded with Sasuke's fist upside his head.

"Only Naruto gets away with calling me that."  
Kakashi whined again, "Always playing favorites, Sasuke-kun."  
"Shut up and act like an adult for once," the Uchiha growled, "Why do you want me to follow them."  
"Ah…" Kakashi nodded, looking back down at the three genin.

He had a good view of the tall, tribal girl and the gothic Lolita, but the third member of their team had her back facing Kakashi. Something about the lead genin from Darunōgakure gave the silver haired jonin the creeps, like something from the darkest part of his mind was trying to warn him to be wary.

"I don't trust them," Kakashi said finally, "That Warukuto girl puts a strange feeling in my gut."

"And that couldn't possibly be attributed to the fact that you and Naruto had ramen at midnight?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I'm not following around a group of genin just to ease your indigestion."

"It's more than that," Kakashi said sternly. "She and Kitaka had an altercation last evening. Witnesses say threats were made. I want you to make certain she doesn't go out of her way to harm one of the genin in the exam. We can prevent injuries that take place because of legitimate battles, but we can prevent someone from using the exams as an excuse to commit violent.

Sasuke was glaring at Kakashi, but he nodded, "You had my cooperation when you said Kitaka."

[…]

"Duck!"

Fuma dropped to the ground as a barrage of kunai clattered against an outcropping of rock behind him. Rolling quickly to the side, he barely managed to avoid another flurry of weaponry. He was on his feet in seconds, jumping out of the way when a foot came hurtling towards his face.

"Fuma, take flank!" Ame yelled, his sword drawn as he engaged two of the attacking genin.

It didn't take very long for the command to register, and Fuma leapt over his attacker and came barreling towards one of Ame's opponents, delivering a sharp kick to the boy's head. Fuma went back to back with Ame as they quickly became surrounded by four other genin.

"Where's Gemma?" Ame hissed.  
Fuma didn't turn to respond; rather he kept his eyes carefully trained upon their assailants, "He's setting up our trump card."  
"How long?"  
"Fifteen seconds, thirty at the most," the smaller Uchiha said with a smirk.  
"I say we make him unnecessary," Ame grinned wickedly.

Fate had placed them in this rather unfortunate predicament. They'd stumbled across a shrine in their scouting, but so had two other genin teams in quick succession. It was relatively close to the entrance, so they should have expected some form of encounter, but the fact that the other two teams were both from Kirigakure… that had not been expected.

The six Water Village ninja had decided to team up to remove the "_Konoha threat_" as they had called it, which confused Fumato, but he and Ame had been able to create a big enough distraction for Gemma to put some space between himself and the battle.

Ame had disabled one of the water genin with his sword, and the one Fuma had kicked in the head appeared to be unconscious… but they were still outnumbered two-to-one.

"Take right?" Fuma asked.  
"Go left," Ame nodded.

At the nod, Fuma dashed left, cutting between two opposing genin and catching them by surprise. Once on the other side, Fuma drew his sword and leapt backwards. He managed to catch one of the genin, striking a long gash down his thigh; the other, a tall, brown haired girl, responded with better speed and threw a kunai toward Fuma, obviously hoping to drive him off. Using the girl's panic to his advantage, Fuma leapt over the projectile and heard the confirming scream as it struck her companion. Three down, three to go.

He hit the ground, skidding to a halt and turning to face his opponent just in time to witness her finish a series of hand signs. The ground underneath Fuma began to rumble, and he barely had time to stagger back before the earth ripped open with an explosive geyser of water.

Fuma was knocked one to his back from the force of it, drenched in cold spray, and, before he could get back onto his feet, the girl had drawn several kunai. She raised her hands, preparing to release the weapons, when she suddenly froze. She turned to look at the back of her hand, seeing something Fuma could not, and a horrified look came over her face before she let out a scream.

The girl dropped her weapons and began shaking her hand as if it were on fire. As she spun, trying to rid herself of the unseen nuisance, Fuma got a look at her back which was covered with small, black insects. Getting to his feet, the smaller Uchiha looked to where Ame was. The pale boy had sheathed his weapon and was standing over two fallen genin—both covered in bugs as well.

"Glad you were able to hold them off." Fuma looked up to see Gemma standing on a jut of rock, his hands held out over the battlefield.

"Good timing," Ame nodded, "I was beginning to wonder if you had any uses."  
"Ha ha," Gemma sneered, "You and Fuma always think that a direct approach works best… doesn't give me much time to work."

"What… are… you doing to me?" the girl Fuma had been fighting had fallen to her knees, shivering slightly. She looked horrified but was unable to struggle any longer.

"Kikaichū," Gemma said quietly, "Chakra draining parasites of the Aburame clan… I've been breeding mine for years to consume chakra rapidly. You won't be able to move for some time, so don't bother."

"Vicious little friends you have there," Ame said completely ignoring their former opponents, "Almost makes fighting pointless."  
"That is the point," Gemma said blandly. He dropped his hands and the insects began to recede. Fuma had no desire to watch them return to their "home".

He'd learned early on what Gemma could do with bugs, and how he did it. The Aburame clan gained their insects shortly after child birth, which meant the bugs were put _inside _of them. Gemma could call upon the Kikaichū and control them at will, but once he had finished, they returned to living inside him. The first time Fuma had witnessed this he'd almost thrown up; it took some getting used to, and even used to it he preferred not to watch.

"I feel it is safe to say that the orb is ours," Ame smirked, "Gemma… would you like to do the honors?"

The brown haired boy nodded and walked up to the stone shrine, removing the blue orb and wrapping it several times in his scarf. Once he had done that, Gemma opened a pocket in his jacket and stored the scarf inside, "There… safe as I can make it."

"Just don't let anyone knock you down and it should be fine," Fuma smiled genuinely, turning to be friendly.

"You want to carry it?" Gemma snapped.  
"No," Fuma said, clearly recalling how he had just fallen. If that were to happen again, the orb might break.  
"Then don't state the obvious," the other boy sighed.

"I suggested we move on," Ame turned to leave, "We'll only get caught in another confrontation if we stay in one place for too long."

[…]

"Number thirty-seven!"

Kit wanted to groan in frustration. They'd been waiting out here forever, at least it seemed that way. He knew one thing for certain: the longer they waited, the more time the other teams would have to complete the task and make it to the tower. They were starting off with a severe handicap.

"_Why does fate conspire against me?_" he whined inwardly.

"You need to breathe, Kit," Kira said quietly, "Otherwise you'll pass out… and blinking would help too, cause your starting to scare me."

"Sorry," Kit frowned. He blinked several times, surprised by how dry his eyes felt. Not blinking was another trait he seemed to pick up from Gaara, and most of the time Kit didn't even realize when he did it. Whenever he was engrossed in something or giving someone his full attention, Kit would stare either off into the distance or at the object of itself. This had a tendency to make people very nervous around him; so he was thankful it didn't happen _too _often.

"I'm bored!" Sainō groaned, "This is _soooo _unfair!"

The moron was always the first person to voice his inner complaints, and Kit often wondered if the only different between them was their difference in etiquette—or Sainō's lack of. They were too similar for comfort, and at times Kit found himself very upset that he allowed himself to think the same things.

"_I should have better discipline_," he criticized himself.

"Stop whining!" Kira smacked the boy.  
"Stop hitting me, Gaki!"  
"I told you to stop calling me that!" she hit him again.

This time Sainō tackled her, and the two of them went rolling across the dusty field, yelling and shouting insults. Kit felt a headache coming. He was just about to separate the two of them when the jonin moderator called out their team number.

"Number thirty-eight!"

"Stop fighting and let's go!" Kit snarled, tightening his belt and zipping up his jacket.

"Name?" the jonin asked, not looking up from his list.  
"Kitaka Uzumaki."  
"Uzumaki?" the jonin looked up, "You're the fox's boy?"  
"One of them," Kit smiled sheepishly.  
"You're kinda late getting through… you're brothers were in the top twenty."  
Kit didn't know how to answer; thankfully his teammates arrived to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"You're telling us," Sainō grumbled, walking up with several scratches on his face and trying to straighten his clothes.  
Kira on the other hand looked as if nothing had happened, "Gakira Nara, sir."  
"Oh, right," Sainō reddened, "Sainō Kodoko."

"Alright, step up to the gate. When the bell sounds… enter the exam. You know the rules?"  
"Yes, sir," the three of them nodded, taking their place at the starting gate. The jonin didn't spare then a second glance.  
"You ready for this?" Sainō chuckled with glee, so giddy that it could have been taken as a giggle.

"More than ready…" Kit whispered, mostly for his own benefit. His eyes narrowed, and, once the bell sounded, he was off in a blur of orange and red.

Kit ran full tilt, making certain to notice traces and hints of where other ninja teams had travelled; he avoided them as best he could. His main guiding instinct was to make it to one of the larger mountain outcroppings and then survey the area. If he could see a shrine, they would go from there. Kit was traveling so fast, his focus so narrowed; he failed to notice that he'd left his team behind him. In fact he might not have noticed this at all if Kira hadn't shouted after him.

"Kit, wait up!"

The redhead ground to a stop and spun around, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look," Kira snapped, putting her hands on her hips and looking very much like her mother, "What's your plan?"  
"Make it to that rock formation and see what I can find."  
"With _your _eyes?" Kira sighed exasperatedly, "You're not Jira. You don't have the Byakugan; so the chances of seeing anything are slim. This training area covers several dozen kilometers!"  
"We have to start somewhere…" Kira muttered.

"You're right," she smirked, "Which is why you have me… thankfully my father has had me playing strategy games since before I could speak."  
"Ok?" Kit asked, not too impressed.  
"Grr! I swear you two are so… male!" Kira threw her hands up in the air, "Use your brains, what are our chances of finding a shrine that none of the other teams have found?"  
"Slim," Kit stated, "But we have to try."

"No," Kira countered, "We don't. Why should we do so much work… when there are plenty of other teams who have already done it for us?"  
"What are you two talking about?" Sainō shouted.  
"Shhh!" Kira rounded, placing a hand over his mouth. "We don't know who could be in the area!" she whispered harshly.  
"Sorry…"

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Kit grinned slightly.

"I'm suggesting that we make our way to the tower," Kira crossed her arms, obviously pleased with herself. "The other teams have to make their way there once they have the orbs in hand. If we establish a hiding spot, we can survey the teams and ambush one of them. One fight… two orbs… and we make it to the next exam. We actually ended up with a better position than you'd think."

"But… only one fight?" Sainō looked as if he were about to cry.  
"A good ninja avoids conflict," Kit nodded, "It's a good plan."  
"Of course it is!" Kira hissed.

"Then let's move." Without another word Kit dashed off, leaving the other to hurry after him.

[…]

"Hey! Old man," Naruto shouted from behind Kakashi, watching with mischievous glee as the silver-haired man jumped. Well it wasn't so much a jump, as it was a slight tremor, but it was a visible reaction that Naruto had gotten the jump on his former sensei.

"Naruto, what a pleasant surprise… shouldn't you be inside the training area monitoring the exam?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"I'm the proctor," Kakashi's eye squinted with his hidden grin, "I point. You do. That's how this lovely arrangement works. I don't have to go in unless something dreadful happens, which you are supposed to be in there preventing."

"I was trying to find Sasuke, but he's not anywhere around here."  
"That's because he's monitoring genin groups," Kakashi said with simplicity, as if he were speaking to a child, "Like you are supposed to be doing."  
"Yarō," Naruto muttered.  
"Watch yourself, Naruto, that's no way to speak to a superior.'

"Gloat all you want pervy pants…" Naruto frowned, turning to make his way into the training area, "I get to proctor the next part." He gave Kakashi his most mischievous grin and then darted off, overjoyed at the obvious look of discomfort in the perverted jonin's eye.

[…]

"Sir, wait! You can't just go in there! I have to…. Wait, sir!"

Tsunade heard her aide's distress from inside the office and raised an irritated eyebrow at the door, especially when it swung open. Her irritation was replaced quickly by surprise when she saw who her uninvited guest was "Kazekage Sabaku," the Hokage inclined her head, "This is unexpected."

"I come every month, Tsunade," the redheaded man said with obvious annoyance, "You can drop the civility. It gets old."

"Very well… Gaara," she said. The Hokage could feel the vein in her forehead pulse threateningly; she hated dealing with young people. "You're a little early this month, no?"

"Only by two days," he glared, "I'd have been here sooner, but I only received the list for the second exam last night. Imagine my surprise when I see my own son's name on said list… when he wasn't among the genin admitted into the first exam."

Tsunade's face paled just a little bit. It was going to be one of _those_ conversations.

"It was taken out of my hands. Kakashi and Sasuke managed to out maneuver me… with Naruto's help unknowingly and Ibiki's help unexpectedly. There was nothing I could do."

"You're the damned Hokage!" Gaara snarled; the sand in gourd strapped to his back shuddered menacingly, "You tell them that it's not an option and that's where it ends!"

"Excuse me!" Tsunade roared in response, "Who in hell gave you the right to tell me how to run my village?"

"We had a deal Tsunade! Kit was to be kept out of the exams this year… in return I have been giving Konoha my undivided loyalty!"

"There was nothing I could do! If you want to blame someone blame yourself for not being here!"

Gaara bristled, "What's that supposed to mean."

"I mean for being a father you're a pretty crappy one," Tsunade sneered, "And seeing as how Naruto has custody of Kit, the choice remained up to him. Once Kakashi managed to wriggle a loophole, only Naruto could have stopped the boy from entering."

"If anything happens to my son, Tsunade… so help me."

"Don't!" she stood up, throwing her desk out of the way. They heavy wooden monstrocity lodged into the wall, where it stuck—much to Gaara's shock. Very many people have underestimated Tsunade's strength, but she wasn't about to be bullied in her own office, "Don't you dare, threaten me Sabaku no Gaara! After all this village has done for you, you should be willing to drop to your knees to help us!"

"You're making enemies left and right, Tsunade," Gaara's voice was venomous, "I've done everything you've asked of me… I have cowed to Konoha at every turn, so long as it is not a detriment to my village, but you're making it very hard to understand why."

"These are politics, Gaara," she said flatly, "People don't like power when they don't possess it. Konoha has always been near the top, but never on the top, and now that the power is shifting towards us, people are covering their assets. You think I don't know what Kumogakure and Iwagakure are plotting? You don't think I haven't seen the dangers?"

"I think you are too confident in your infallibility," Gaara responded coldly.

"Konoha has done nothing wrong."

"Your village has been taking quite a bit, Tsunade," Gaara's lips turned into a thin frown, "Even Suna is beginning to feel the economic downturn. These exams were to supposed to even the balance of job assignments, yet now there are three more Konoha genin teams. How could you expect this to not have repercussions?"

"My kids should not be punished for their talent!" Tsunade snapped, "Talent which you are responsible for, in part! How could you even think of doing something like that to your own son?"

"He's not ready, and that's not the point."  
"It is the point! They deserve the same chance as every other genin."  
"Sometimes sacrifice is necessary."  
"Who are we to determine who gets sacrificed?"

"Everyone sacrifices something to make peace," Gaara's voice got even colder, if such a thing was possible.  
Tsunade raised her eyebrow, "Are we even talking politics at this point?"

"It doesn't matter."  
"Somehow I think it does."  
"Drop it," Gaara warned her.

Tsunade nodded, having no desire to shout with the Kazekage again. "I promise you that all precautions have been taken, Gaara. What happened during your genin exams will not happen again."

"You had better hope so," Gaara whispered, "If something were to happen to Kit… there will be no end to the amount of hell I will rain down upon you, and I promise that Naruto will be far less forgiving than I."

Tsunade knew all too well how angry Naruto would be if one of his children was hurt, or heaven forbid killed. While the Kazekage was powerful, Gaara was no longer a Jinchūriki, but Naruto _was—_one of the last remaining vessels of a tailed beast. If he got angry enough, Naruto could cause unspeakable damage now that he had the Kyuubi under control.

"_That _is why I have Naruto proctoring one of the exams," the Hokage said thoughtfully, "He is also moderating the current exam, as are Sasuke and many others."

"Uchiha is full of himself," Gaara spat.  
"Your personal bias aside," Tsunade said sternly, "Sasuke is a good jonin, and he'll keep an eye out where others may not."  
"I still cannot believe you let him train my son. He should have come to Suna and trained with me."

"The Council of Elders for both Suna and Konoha gave custody to Naruto," Tsunade couldn't repress her sigh of frustration, "Naruto can't train two genin teams… Kit therefore went to the next best candidate. At least Naruto is keeping a constant eye on Sasuke… among other parts of his body."

"I don't need to hear about it," Gaara blanched, obviously sick at the images of Naruto and Sasuke.

Tsunade smirked, barely containing her self-satisfaction. It wasn't easy to make Gaara of the Sand unsettled, but at least she knew how to do it. "I won't let you forget what you lost by running away, Gaara, and you shouldn't try to forget."

"I lost the moment he returned."  
"You'll never know that," Tsunade shrugged, "You gave up." Her word had an apparent effect on the Kazekage, who suddenly looked very old.  
Gaara's shoulders sagged, "I am... going to retire for the night."

"You're apartment should be sparkling; it was just cleaned yesterday," Tsunade bowed politely.

"Thank you," Gaara bowed in response, "Good evening, Hokage-sama."

Once the easily irate redhead had left, Tsunade walked over to the wall and pried her desk from it. She easily carried it back to its place in the center of the office, taking her seat once again. Releasing a deep sigh, she opened a draw and was saddened to see that her bottle of sake had shattered from her outburst.

"This day just gets better and better," she muttered, picking up the broken bottom and downing what liquid managed to stay in the container. It was nowhere near enough to easy the headache she'd just received.

* * *

_**~Notes~**_

_**Yaro - means asshole in Japanese**_  
_**Kodoko - a mixture of the kanji for boy and child, basically Saino's name mean "talented boy-child", I just wanted to share that. :)**_


	10. Cala and Companions: Sasuke in Peril!

**Ah, see! I wasn't kidding.**

Welcome to part two of my incredibly long and ridiculously paced chapter. Action, action, action. That's what this chapter is about... OH! and for the first time ever, the story has parts from the perspective of a character who is not Kit, Jira, Fuma, Sasuke, Naruto, or Kakashi. This chapter is pretty much centered around the Shady Trio, so I hope you enjoy getting a look at our current antagonists. Hooray!

Now time for the begging, which I didn't do last time. Review if you like this story even a tiny, tiny bit... please? Cause I live off of criticism and comments. No lie. As always I love all my readers, and I answer/respond to all of my reviews in some form or another. I answer any questions you may have as well. Don't believe me? Ask any of my regulars. I talk their ears off when the let me! (A bit thanks to Kreatyve for listening to my plans for the future. I think I know what's going to happen next!) Till next time!

**_~Sarai  
_**

* * *

**_Naruto: Kurashio_**  
**_Chapter 9 – Cold Currents p. 2_**

"Run! Run! Run!" Jira shouted, leaping over a rocky crag, hoping to put something solid between himself and their pursuer.

"What the hell is it?" Chino screeched.

The boy's cry was drowned out by an ear splitting roar, followed by a ground shaking as the huge creature landed between him and Jira. The beast was huge, probably nine feet at the shoulders, and it had a mouth which could easily bite one of them in-two.

"It's Kyoraiyama," Hana shouted from her perch as she launched several kunai at the beast. The metal blades stuck into the beast's hide, but they served as little more than irritation and did nothing to halt its pursuit of Chino.

"A what?" Jira ducked under the beast's front paw and began jabbing senbon into its underbelly, trying to slow it down. The Kyoraiyama was a lot smarter than it looked, and Jira barely made it away before the beast dropped onto its stomach, nearly crushing him.

"A great mountain lion!" Hana shouted, "They originated in myth as the Muteki no raion, or Nemean Lion."

"So we can't kill it?" Chino groaned, ducking under an over-hanging rock. The Kyoraiyama ran into it headfirst, which dazed it for a moment.

"Of course it can be killed," Hana rolled her eyes, "The legend only made it invincible because it's _really_ _hard_ to kill."

"How?" Jira snapped, just as a large back paw kicked him, sending the boy flying through the air.

Hana bit her nails as she tried to remember, "The legend says that it was stabbed in the mouth."

"The mouth?" Jira asked, rolling to the side. The lion was on him quickly and he was forced to leap backwards, in several short jumps, to escape being eviscerated by the huge claws.

"Yeah! Through the mouth and into its brain!"

"Delight…" Jira was about to leap away yet again, when the beast turned and focused its sights on Hana. Apparently it was much smarter than it appeared. "…ful."

With a roar and a spray of saliva, the beast leaped for Hana's perch, slamming into the mountainside with earth-shattering force. Rock and dust rained everywhere as the Kyoraiyama ripped and tore and shredded everything it could get its hands on, but thankfully it only succeeded in destroying more rock. Hana had managed to slide down the side of outcrop, landing on the ground and running before the beast realized she was not in its grasp.

With another ear-splitting roar, the great lion leaped after her again. The force of its landing caused Hana to stumble; she tripped, sprawling to the ground. She hurriedly rolled onto her back, trying to back away… but the beast was upon her in seconds.

"Hana!" Jira shouted, too far away to do any good. In a last ditch effort, he threw a flurry of senbon needles at the beast's head and was rewarded when one caught the monster in the eye. The Kyoraiama roared in pain, tossing its head back as it struggled to swat the annoying barbs away from its face, but it only succeeded in causing more damage.

The brief respite gave Hana enough time to draw a kunai. As the beast returned its focus upon prey, jaws opening widely to come snapping down; Hana rose to her knees and shoved the kunai up into the great beast's open maw. The kunai tore through flesh and then there was the harsh, abrupt pause as it struck bone, which jarred her arm before the blade broke through…

The Kyoraiyama let out a sickening, "slurch" noise as it gurgled and collapsed, almost crushing Hana as she leapt out of the way. Jira and Chino were at her side in a moment, making certain that she was alright. Aside from her sore arm, the girl was untouched... but it was soon apparent Hana was in shock. She looked at the huge monster, realizing how close she almost came to death…

Hana peered down at her hands, covered in thick, crimson blood… her white coat was stained as well. All her mental faculties came rushing back at the site and she screamed, "Ew! Ew ew ew ew! It's disgusting! Get it off! I need water!"

"Hana calm down!" Jira said urgently, "It'll be okay… we'll find a stream or something!"

"It's so nasty!" She whined.

"I know… but come on! You killed it!" Jira pointed at the beast.

Pausing in her hysteria, Hana looked over at the dead carcass, "Yeah… I did."  
"Pretty impressive," Chino said, seeing Jira's strategy for calming their teammate.  
"Is the orb ok?" Hana asked timidly.  
"Yep," Chino grinned, pulling the blue sphere of glass out of his pocket, "Thanks to you."

"Well… of—of course!" Hana said, putting on a smirk, "What's a little blood? If I have to wear it to show you two how much more skilled and awesome I am?"

"That's the spirit," Jira smiled warmly, "Now let's go find some running water… before you start to _smell _like that thing."

Hana's jaw dropped in horror at the thought, then she ran after her blond teammate, "Jira Uzumaki, you get back here and let me pound you for that!"

[…]

Sasuke had been following the Shadow Village team for several hours, and it had been no easy task. He'd expected them to be skilled genin, but keeping up with them was proving to be constant work. Of course he wasn't using Sharingan. Sasuke didn't want to alert them to his presence by accessing a large amount of chakra, but for them to be giving him this much of a workout… the Uchiha felt something was indeed odd.

Even more surprising was how quickly the trio of Shadow-nin was able to locate orbs. Their leader, the one Kakashi had pointed out as Cala Warukuto, seemed to have an ability to home in on the location of the orbs. She jumped from one shrine to the next as if she already knew where they were located.

"_Does she have a bloodline_?" Sasuke wondered.

Byakugan users were able to see hundreds of yards away; Sasuke hadn't heard of another skill such as that, but it could explain why she was able to easily locate the orbs. It wasn't unthinkable. The Sharingan and the Byakugan were closely related skills that flooded chakra into the optic nerves. None of the jonin documents or the bingo books had any information on the Shadow Village ninjas or their skills, so it was possible that this girl had an unknown bloodline trait.

If that was the case, Sasuke would have to be expertly careful not to be spotted.

However, it was far more likely that these girls had cheated. With their performance in the first exam it would be an easy feat for them. They could have easily infiltrated the training area last night and located several shrines, and from the proctor reports Sasuke had read... this seemed like the most plausible case to explain everything.

At his last count the three of them had already collected two pair of orbs, which meant one team would either be eliminated from the end pool, or someone would have to wrest the orbs away from the Shady Trio**_–_**an outcome which didn't seem likely in Sasuke's mind.

"_Hopefully Kitaka will stay far away from these three_," Sasuke mused, "_I wouldn't fancy the aftermath they could cause_."

After a few minutes, Cala motioned for her companions to stop underneath the shade of a few cedar pines. The trees on this mountain side were rare, appearing in small patches, but they offered a good reprieve from the wind. The girl silently found a place to settle down at, each of them taking a different method of rest.

The tall girl hefted her large blade over her shoulder, resting it against her thigh as she leaned against the trunk of a tree; meanwhile, the doll-like girl was nestled up on a tree branch, giggling silently and engaging her companions in one-sided conversation, or she could have been talking to herself. Sasuke had no way of knowing for certain. Cala was seated cross-legged on a boulder, her eyes closed as she slept, meditated, or did who knew what? All Sasuke knew is that she gave off a weird aura. It wasn't the same unsettling vibe he'd gotten from Orochimaru, that snake was just flat-out creepy, but Cala was unnerving. She acted ancient, collected… almost like a machine rather than a child, which of course was absurd… but the his unease was still there.

[…]

"I can't believe you've been avoiding people," Eira laughed, crooking her head to the side while she grinned like a Cheshire cat, "That's very unlike you, Cala."

The older genin ignored the maniacal doll-girl and continued focusing on her surroundings.

"And you, Mavrí, always so quiet! You're boring!" she swung backwards, dangling from the branch by her legs, "_Borrrring_!"

"You would do well not to waste your energy, Eira," Mavrí cautioned, "You never know when excitement may find us."

"Couldn't find me too soon," the Lolita giggled, "My blade's forgotten what combat tastes like."

"Salt and iron," Mavrí answered her, "And a hint of copper."  
"I was talking about fighting," Eira whined, "Not baking!"  
"And I was talking about blood," Mavrí grinned wryly.  
"Ah, that makes more sense!" Eira giggled again, pulling herself up into a sitting position.

The rest of their conversation Cala ignored, having long lost interest in what they had to say; rather she was more interested in the faint presence she kept sensing at the edge of their clearing. She'd been picking up on it for a while now: someone was following them. She couldn't tell for certain, but whoever it was didn't want them to know. An ambush perhaps?

Cala wished it were so. The chance to eliminate some competition and stretch her muscles would be more than welcome at this point. She felt the tendons in her hand tighten, her instincts ready to strike… it was a struggle not to hunt down one or two of the genin teams for sport. "_Death is such an easy solution_," She pondered.

If only it weren't so complicated by these rules…

The jonin moderators were definitely something to consider. While she felt confident in taking one or two of them, if she were to start eliminating genin teams for the sheer simplicity of it… the jonin would converge on her in an instant. The exam would be over, and the Majokage would be very displeased.

Cala knew she would have to work within the confines of the rules, so, if she couldn't hunt them down, she would have to make the other genin come to her. The exam proctor clearly stated that the jonin would not interfere with fights started intentionally by the genin… so long as they were strategical skirmishes. What better way to invite a little conflict than to hold someone's key to passing?

The more orbs Cala gathered—the less chance the other groups had of passing—making it far more likely for them to start hunting her down. Of course her team could always complete the exam, they had the necessary pieces for that simplistic puzzle. It would only take them a few hours, at most, to reach the tower and then leave this dismal waste, but they also had another mission to see to.

The Majokage was very interested in this year's genin candidates, and she wanted a very specific selection to reach the final exam. Of course Cala was under specific orders not to help any of these candidates, not that she would have… no, her job was to ascertain that very few _unwanted _genin made it into the final tournament. Cala was all too pleased to complete such an assignment.

A faint, fluttering chakra pricked her senses, causing her to open on eye.

There is was again, that faint presence… it was beginning to annoy her. Cala focused, pinpointing the location, and she threw out her right hand, forming series of hand signs as she did so. She pointed her index and middle finger at the target spot as she completed the final sign. The air rumbled with the sound of thunder, lit with the smell of ozone, and was followed a mere instant later by an arcing bolt of white lightning.

The lightning scored into the rock and cliff side, exploding in a rain of debris and bright fire. Smoke and rock flew into the air as the chakra signature vanished.

"Whoa ho!" Eira crowed, "Fireworks! Is it my birthday already?"

The three genin focused on the location, waiting to see if there would be any retaliation, but nothing happened. Cala frowned and closed her eyes again. Either she had killed the eavesdropper or they had fled, whatever the scenario was… it ended up being a disappointment.

"Leave it to you to end the fun before it can begin Cala," the goth whined.

"That's quite enough out of you," the black-haired girl snapped.

Eira was silent for a good few minutes, which was all Cala required to get her head focused on the mission ahead. Once the girl began chattering again, Cala stood up and straightened the sash tied at her waist. With a nod to Mavrí, they were ready to go.

With a prod from her weapon's sheath, Mavrí pushed Eira from the tree; the little girl merely grinned and flowed into a back flip, landing effortlessly on her feet. "Time to go, I see?" she tossed her snow, white locks with a giggle and bounded after Mavrí and Cala.

[…]

Sasuke stood looking at the molten, charred remains of the rock where he had been hiding. He would have ended up looking something like that, had he not used substitution jutsu at the very last second. It wasn't like he was in any real danger, but the genin had definitely caught him by surprise. Because of his retreat, the trio of shadow-nin had managed to get away, which unfortunately meant he'd have to track them down _again_—something he wasn't looking forward to.

He was still having a hard time believing that the Warukuto girl had sensed his location.

"She must have amazing chakra control," Sasuke muttered to himself.

He pulled a communicator out of his vest, sticking the bud into his ear, and he dialed in Kakashi's frequencies, "Hey. Kakashi…"

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"  
"Grow up," Sasuke snapped.  
"Careful, or they'll hear you," Kakashi warned.  
"Too late for that," Sasuke sighed, "They caught me without your help."

"Really?"

"Well, that one girl did."  
"Cala Warukuto?"  
"That's the one," Sasuke admitted with distaste.  
"Hmm… that's impressive."  
"That's not the only thing about her that's impressive."

"Oh?"

"She managed to pull off a single handed jutsu."  
"What kind?" Kakashi was obviously intrigued.  
"Lighting based, but very powerful."  
"We haven't seen a singled hand user since…"

"Haku and the battle in the Land of the Waves," Sasuke answered for him.

"Ah, you are forgetting Gaara…" Kakashi chided.  
"Yes," Sasuke snarled, "How could I forget?"  
"Yes, shame on you, Sasuke."  
"Again, Kakashi, grow up!"

"Not going to happen I'm afraid," Kakashi teased, "It's too much fun seeing your frustration."

"You can't see my frustration."  
"True, but it sounds delightful."  
"I'm ending this conversation," Sasuke went to cut off the communicator, when Kakashi interrupted him.

"Are you going to be able to locate them again, or do I need to send you a partner?"

Sasuke pondered how easy it would be to trick Kakashi into sending Naruto, but the Uchiha decided against it. He'd been embarrassed by a fourteen year-old girl, and he didn't need Naruto knowing about that.

"No," Sasuke said sternly, "It won't be difficult to find her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Sasuke growled, "For one they aren't making any attempt to cover their trail, and secondly… that girl can access a monstrous reserve of chakra."

"What are you implying?"

"What I'm saying," Sasuke offered bluntly, "Is that she scares me more than Gaara ever did…"

"That's saying quite a bit," Kakashi was obviously serious, "Are you certain you don't need back-up?"

"It's not for me," Sasuke snapped, "I'm scared for any of these kids that piss her off."

[…]

Kit and his team had been making good time. By Kira's estimation they would reach the tower by mid-morning tomorrow, well ahead of the other groups who were scouring the mountainous terrain for orbs. Even if there were other groups hoping to use the same tactics they were, Kit felt certain his team would be able to collect a pair, even if they needed to bump-off some of the other competition waiting around the tower, not that there would be very many.

Kira had figured many of the front running teams would try to hoard orbs, gathering as many as they could. The middle teams would attempt to catch the front runners and steal their orbs, hoping to remove some competition and gain a spot in the final exam. Finally, she suggested that the last teams through the gate would either attempt to ambush the front runners as they made their way to the tower, or they would attempt to overtake the other teams before they made it there.

By his understanding, Kit figured there would only be two or three other teams poaching the area around the tower. In all likelihood these genin teams would be weaker than theirs, meaning they would have full pick of whom to ambush, especially since most teams wouldn't be reaching the tower until day three.

That gave them nearly a full day to prepare necessary strategy and traps… and three full days to nab two orbs. Kit felt confident they would be able to complete their goal in that amount of time.

Their path took them from a series of rocky ledges to a wide open plateau. Covering the plateau were several groves of evergreen trees, gnarly bushes, and jutting crags of stone. Plenty of places for an ambush, and Kit's instincts were blazing. They took to the new terrain quickly and quietly, their eyes wide for any sudden movement.

"Hey, you!"

The three of them vanished behind rock, tree, and bush, hoping to avoid whomever had seen them, or at least get a drop on them if possible.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you girly!"

Kit snuck around the large rock he was hiding behind, hoping to get nearer to the voices. Has he was about to peak his head around for a better look, but thought against it. He motioned for Kira and Sainō to say put, and focused chakra into his hand. One of the small gourds on his belt popped open with a silent "_hiss_" and sand poured into his palm to create a "third eye"… a much safer way to get a _much_ closer look at what was going on.

Holding his right hand over its corresponding eye, Kit eased the sand-eye around the rock with his chakra, and, as it came into focus, the scene he saw petrified him to the spot.

There in a small clearing stood Cala and her genin partners. Facing them was one of the roughest looking teens Kitaka had ever seen. This boy was easily a foot taller than Cala, almost as tall as her tribal companion, and he was covered in vicious, thorn-like tattoo patterns which were created with scars, not ink. In both of his hands he held large, sword-sized kunai blades, and his partners were both armed with bows.

Their strategy, while obviously apparent, looked no less deadly. The big brute would engage opponents up close, probably with taijutsu and ninjutsu, while the archers would stay far away from the actual fighting to pick-off their opponents and fend off projectiles.

Cala didn't look impressed.

"Hey, if you're not going to talk, why not hand over those orbs? I see you have quite a few on that sash of yours… they could help my village's teams make it to the finals."

"No." Cala's tone was blunt and emotionless, but her lips formed into a wicked smirk as the male teen bristled at her defiance.

"I'm not into hurting girls, but you're starting to piss me off," he barked, twirling one of his over-sized kunai.

"Iwagakure is full of blustering buffoons like yourself," Cala said plainly, "The fact that you have six teams in this exam is a marvel of how trivial these proceedings have become, but I won't help any of you insignificants make it past your station."

The burly teen blinked several times, trying to process exactly what she was saying, but, when he finally understood that he was being insulted, a low growl rumbled from his throat. "I don't know who you think you are—"

"I'm standard for which every genin in this exam will be held accountable."  
"You're awfully high and mighty… I think I'm gonna enjoy hurting you!"  
"No," Cala said, elaborately faking a yawn, "You won't. Eira, he's yours… they _all _are."

Kit watched in entranced fascination as the doll-like girl popped open her lace parasol and pranced to the front of the excitement. Her heeled boots kicked up little clouds of dust as she came to a stop before the bigger teen that towered over her.

Eira grinned creepily up at him, "Promise me one thing?"

"What?" the boy looked from Eira to Cala, "You want me to fight her?"  
"Oh it won't be much of a fight," Eira said cheerfully, "Which is why I want you to promise me something."  
"What's that little girl?" The boy said, raising one of his blades, "You want me to give your grave a gothic, little headstone?"

"Oh, he has a wicked sense of humor," Eira giggled, "I hope you make pretty screams."

"I've had enough of you!" The boy shouted, swinging his kunai in a cleaving, sideways strike for Eira's midsection.

The doll girl moved like a blur, leaping up and landing on-top of the blade as it swung by, riding it until the swing stopped. The earth-nin boy looked at her, his eyes widening in shock as the small girl perched on his weapon.

"Oops! Missed me," she giggled.

"Rah!" The boy swung again, and again, but each time Eira leapt nimbly from blade to blade, performing a perfect balancing act. Her game with him was interrupted; however, when the archers both decided to notch arrows to their bows, taking cheap shots at the gothic Lolita while she was performing a pirouette-on-steel.

With a graceful twirl of her parasol, Eira deflected the arrows and spun away from the three earth genin, landing with her shade propped upon her shoulder and striking a rather elegant pose. She bowed to the three genin and then tossed her parasol up into the air.

"I hope you know that it's over now," Eira said, her violet eyes becoming very cold all of a sudden, "You ruined my play time... so _now _you have to go away."

Throwing up a hands to form a jutsu sign, the doll girl smiled victoriously. The parasol froze in mid-air, blocking the sun and casting the three genin in shadow. The tall brute looked up confused, but, when nothing happened, he cast a haughty look toward Eira, "Looks like your jutsu's a dud, girly! What's a floating umbrella gonna do? Keep us from getting wet?"

The Lolita smirked, "_Shadow Lace Jutsu_!"

As she formed the second sign, dark tendrils hissed their way from within the shadowy underside of the parasol. The dark, twitching entities looked like black, lace ribbons which snaked outward, wrapping around the wrists, waists, and ankles of the three genin—all who were quite terrified at this point. Kit couldn't blame them; he'd never seen any jutsu like this.

"What… what are you doing?" one of the archers cried out.

"_Sever_!" Eira's whisper was ominously loud, echoing as she formed the third and final hand sign.

The strands of dark lace suddenly wrapped tight around the limbs to which they were bound; then, with their sudden rigidity they ripped away, slicing open flesh and arteries, leaving behind gory wounds more vicious than any suicide ever performed—wounds far more lethal in their certainty. The three genin collapsed, their moans becoming faint whimpers as the vast blood lost turned them to cold corpses.

Eira held her hand out for the returning parasol. Grabbing it, she twirled into an elegant curtsy and bowed to her fallen opponents, "You weren't much, but you did make some lovely sounds."

She walked over to the tall, brutish boy's corpse and pulled out a blue orb, "And he came with a prize inside the package!"

"I hope they aren't the standard of the competition," Mavrí said with distaste.

"They aren't on the list," Cala dismissed, "Therefore they aren't important. _So many_ genin in this exam talk much… but they leave me wanting."

Kit breathed a sigh of relief, which almost acted as a beacon for the dark haired girl. The moment he relaxed, his third eye caught Cala spin around and look directly at his hiding place.

"Cala?" Eira questioned, "Everything okay?"

"I…" the dark haired girl paused, "Thought I heard something."

"You've been awfully jumpy today."  
"I can't help thinking that we are being followed," Cala frowned.  
"You're just being paranoid," the doll grinned, prancing off down the way.

"Mavrí?"

"Yes, mistress?"

"I want you to keep your senses open."

"Of course."

Cala nodded in content, "Good… I know that I'm not _being paranoid_"

"Of course not, Mistress," Mavrí walked over and subtly brought her foot slamming down on Kit's "third eye", cutting off his view of their exit. "If they continue to follow us… they will deal with me."

If anything else was exchanged between the frightening grils—Kit didn't hear it, but he caught the warning clear enough. The redhead had no intention of following Cala and her insane band of murderous girls; in fact he was going to take his team in the opposite direction, even if that cost them some time.

Once he was certain of their safety, Kit moved out from his hiding spot and motioned for Kira and Sainō, "Did either of you see that?" The memories of the recent slaughter left Kitaka shaken, and he did his best to control his limbs to keep them from shuddering. He needed to appear in control of himself.

Kira shook her head, her eyes squinted, "The sounds were so… _horrible_."

"I know…" Sainō patted her sympathetically, "What are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can do," Kit said grimly, "Keep going… and avoid those three at all cost."

[…]

"That's the third empty shrine…" Ame said bitterly, "I'm afraid this is starting to become a downhill day. We have one orb, three others have been claimed, that leaves only twenty-four left in play and I highly doubt that's the case."

"So what do we do?" Gemma leaned against the shrine as he waited for Ame to give them their next direction.

"It's a catch twenty-two…" the pale boy frowned, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "If we make our way towards the tower… we may find another shrine or we may be attacked."

"We might also find another group with an orb," Gemma pointed out.  
"Precisely my point. We have no way to guaranteeing anything."

"We could always set a trap…" Fuma offered.

"Come again, runt?" Gemma raised his eyebrows.  
"That's enough, Gemma!" Ame snapped, "We're a team, so stop with the hostility."  
"What? It's his nickname…"

"It doesn't bother me," Fuma said quietly.

"Well it stops," Ame's voice was stern, "Now, what were you talking about, Fuma?"

Without explaining himself, Fuma picked up a rock and strapped an explosive tag to it; then, performing a henge jutsu, he camouflaged the rock as a red sphere and placed it into the shrine.

"The boy's got a point," Gemma smirked, "We've had a big headstart. Another team's bound to come to this shrine."

"And we can stake it out for a day or two without much of a loss," Fuma offered.

"It's a good plan," Ame nodded, "Good work, Fuma."

[…]

Sasuke looked soullessly at the set of corpses lying in their own blood. They'd been that way for at least an hour, most of the blood having been absorbed by the parched dirt of the plateau. It had only taken a short time to identify the bodies as Iwagakure's primary genin team. This was definitely going to make the Tsuchikage angry. Sasuke turned away from the grisly sight, not because it upset him in any way, he was used to death, but he could help but feel unsettled by the looks of horror the corpses bore.

Even though their eyes were glassed over, the shock and pain were still evident upon their dead features. Sasuke had been afraid something like this might happen. Switching on his communicator, Sasuke called up Kakashi once more.

"Kakashi… this is Sasuke."

"Did you miss me, Sasuke-kun?"  
"Not in the slightest."  
"Aw," Kakashi whined, "Well, what can I do for you this time?"

Sasuke looked back towards the bodies, "I'm going to need three body bags and a clean-up team."

"Don't tell me you killed the Shadow Village genin?" Kakashi didn't sound too disappointed at the prospect.

"No," Sasuke said bitterly, "They took out Iwa's lead team."  
"Kurotsuchi isn't going to be happy when she hears this," Kakashi groaned.  
The older jonin's discomfort brought a smirk to Sasuke's lips, "You're the one who has to fill out that report, Mr. Proctor."  
"Thank you for the _reminder_."  
"Anytime."

"What's the cause of death?" Kakashi asked. His voice was labored, obviously not wanting to have the conversation.

"Blood loss," Sasuke concluded with ease. He surveyed the bodies closely with Sharingan to gather more information, "It would appear all of the major arteries were severed… death was nearly instantaneous."

"Any indication of the weapon?"

"Not that I can tell…" Sasuke leaned over the nearest body, "The cuts are clean, straight… they could have been made with a razor, or a really sharp sword…"

"Highly unlikely that three, skilled genin would stand around and let someone slice them open," Kakashi muttered.

"They may not have had an option," Sasuke pointed out.

"Was this a legitimate battle?"

"Signs indicate a skirmish. There were arrows fired and scuff marks on the ground lead me think there was a close quarters engagement…" Sasuke sighed, "The Earth genin probably thought three girls would make an easy mark."

"The Shadow genin have an orbs?" Kakashi sounded surprised.

"Last I counted they had four," Sasuke sighed, "Which means they'll be targeted by other genin… especially with the way that Warukuto is displaying them for anyone to see."

"There's nothing you can do about that," Kakashi was giving Sasuke an order, but at the same time it sounded as if the older jonin was regretting that particular rule. "A ninja has to know how to pick their fights. If they die because of bad decisions… it's a consequence of the exam."

"I know."

Sasuke did know. Anything seemed fair game in the Chunin Exams, so long as the genin chose to perform. It was a giant, freaking carnival of chaos—all for the purpose of entertaining the local vassals, lords, and anyone else with money to spend on the Ninja villages. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto had suffered through their exams, along with plenty other genin… and several genin had died during that year. This was not a surprise, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

"Sometimes I feel it's arrogant to expect children to think like adults," Sasuke muttered.  
"You didn't think that way when you were a genin," Kakashi chuckled.  
"Yeah, well…" Sasuke huffed, "I was an idiot back then."  
"Glad to see you've come to that realization so early in life."

Sasuke frowned, "I didn't need you to confirm that."

"I do it out of the kindness of my heart, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi's voice was almost gleeful.

"Send the clean-up team, Kakashi. We're done here."

"They're already on their way."

[…]

* * *

_**~A/N~**_

_**A few things:**_

_**1) When Mavri stomps Kit's sand eye, Cala hadn't noticed it. Mavri on the other had DID notice it. Why? Well, Mavri is a little special. You'll find out more later, but I just wanted to let you know that Mavri was basically warning Kit, and covering for him at the same time. I don't know if this is apparent, but I wanted to point it out (it's not a spoiler or anything and I plan making it obvious later on).**_

_**2) The explosive tags, like the one which was attached to a rabbit in the Chunin exams of the anime, they are never really explained. Therefore, I just wanted to let you know MY understanding of them. (or at least how Fuma's tags work) Fuma primes the tag with his own chakra and it won't explode until it is disturbed by an outside/foreign chakra—meaning that Fuma could handle it all he wants, but if any other ninja were to touch it: BOOM!**_

_**3) Kurotsuchi is the granddaughter of the third Tsuchikage. Now, in my story, she is the Fourth Tsuchikage. Yay! More will be explained later. You now know who four of the Kages are: Mei is still the Mizukage, Tsunade is the Hokage, Gaara is the Kazekage... and now you have Kurotsuchi as the Tsuchikage. That leaves three to go: the Raikage, the Otokage... and who is the Majokage?**_

_**DUN! DUN! DUN!  
**_

_**That's all! :)**_


	11. Sound Ninjas Strike: Fumato's Fury

**Disclaimer:** _I attempted to get mister Kishimoto to marry me, which would allow me to have the rites to Naruto when he dies... but he bitch-slapped me with a pre-nup. (Damn bastard!) So, **I don't own Naruto**. (duh) However, the characters of **Jira, Kitaka, Fumato, Ame, Gemma, Hana, Kira, Chino, Cala, Eira, Mavri, Kuroshi, and every other OC in this story** are the product of my insanity._

Whew! Three updates in one week. I'm a writing fiend I tell you!

Well it's not like a wrote three chapters in one week... these three updates were, of coures, ONE chapter (which possibly makes me MORE of a fiend than typing three updates in one week, you be the judges!)

I'm going to make this chat quick. I really loved this portion of the chapter because it allowed me to foreshadow/touch base/move on with three of the most integral parts for N:K. Seriously, you guys have no idea how much stuff this little section sets up. OR you may have an idea, so let me know about it. I love to see how sneaky I'm being, and I love talking to you guys even more! So, review and ask questions or let me know what you're thinking!

This is going to be the last update for N:K (don't kill me!) until I finish the next Studio 69 one-shot (haha, bet you people weren't expect another one of those). For those of you who are new, my one-shot Neon Lights was the first Studio 69 fic and now it's getting a companion piece. So stay tuned! (and go read Neon Lights if you haven't. I've been told it's 5000 words of pure awesomeness, and that's not coming from me). Well, that's everything for this update. Love you all!

~Sarai

_**

* * *

**_

_**Naruto: Kurashio****  
Chapter 10 – Cold Currents p. 3**_

"Night is falling," Mavrí motioned to the peach colored sunset, "Light will diminish quickly in the next half hour."

"You act as if that is a problem for us," Cala's response snipped, showing her irritation.  
"I only meant to suggest that many teams will use this time for recovery or rest."  
"Are you asking for a reprieve, Mavrí?" Cala turned slowly, her eyes looking up at the taller girl.

"Of course not, Mistress."

Call nodded and continued walking, "Many of the lax genin will be resting, the smart genin will be formulating their strategy for the next day, and those who are _ambitious_ will attempt to attack under the cover of darkness." A thin smile played across her face, "Those more ambitious wretches will find **us**."

"Yes, Mistress."

Eira giggled, "This is going to be good!"

[…]

"No one has been to this shrine all day," Gemma grumbled, "I'm beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all?"

"The good hunter is a patient one," Ame mused, watching the small clearing from his perch inside of a tall spruce, "The first day is not even finished, and already you're irritable."

"It just seems like a waste of time," the boy huffed, "We could be making progress deeper into the mountains."

"There are twenty-eight orbs, according to Kakashi-sensei, which means there are twenty-eight shrines spread out across a twelve kilometer radius," Ame chided, "Probability suggests that another team _will _pass by."

As if prompting fate, Ame's eyes caught a blur of motion enter the clearing. Slowly and quietly, a shadow detached itself from the others and began stealthily approaching the shrine.

"There's only one," Gemma whispered.

Ame motioned for him to be silent, surveying the surrounding area for the enemy's team members. The pale boy knew the others wouldn't be too far behind, not if an orb was at stake. "Gemma," he whispered softly as possible, "Send your bugs to scout the surrounding area."

With a nod, the young Aburame pressed his palm to the tree trunk, shortly afterwards a steady stream of insects began crawling out into the night. Ame wondered what the chances were of catching another team with the same tactic, but his question was never answered.

Down by the shrine, the enemy genin decided _at that moment_ to pick up the booby-trapped, fake-orb, triggering a loud and fiery explosion. The force of the blast shattered the shrine, launching debris and rubble all around the clearing. Meanwhile, the unfortunate genin who had picked up the orb slowly vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"A clone!" Ame hissed, "Gemma, do you have anything?"

"Nothing."

"Where are they?" Ame stressed.

Suddenly there were shouts, and the sounds of flying shuriken, followed by the noise of combat which quickly began fading away into the distant night. That could only mean that Fuma had found the enemy genin and had engaged them, which, with the boy's luck, meant that he was out numbered three-to-one. Remembering how Fuma had gotten careless earlier that morning, Gemma and Ame shared a worried look.

"Damn!" Ame leapt from the tree, his pale hair flying out behind him like wings. He hit the ground gracefully and took off at a run, heading for the direction where the fighting had disappeared. His eyes strained to find some clue as to where Fuma might have gone, but the darkness of the mountainside hid any signs he could track and the moon offered very little light to see by.

"Geeze, could you wait up?" Gemma said, finally catching the boy, "I don't need both of you vanishing."

"We need to find, Fuma!"

"Ok, ok… calm down and let the bugs see what they can find," Gemma raised placating hands.

Ame was in no state of mind to wait patiently for a hive of insects to crawl around, not when their teammate could be in actual danger. The genin they'd fought earlier certainly weren't holding back, and if that encounter were any indication of the level of skill; then all of the genin in this exam had the potential to be lethal. Fuma was definitely in trouble if they didn't catch up to him soon.

"That way," Gemma indicated to a path bearing northeast. It took them away from the direction of the tower.

"Let's go," Ame ordered, "We don't have time to stand about."

Gemma nodded and they both struck off into the forest. Neither wanted to voice their concerns, though they were fairly obvious: the longer they took to catch up with Fumato, more likely the chances were that he would be hurt—or worse, and not only that; the longer they took to catch up, the more ground they would have to backtrack tomorrow. They were losing time no matter how they looked at it.

[…]

The night exploded into a brilliant daze of fire.

The force of the blast knocked Fumato backwards, slamming him hard against a tree. He could feel the bark digging into his back as he dropped to the ground, but there wasn't any time to focus on the pain. Hitting rock floor with his feet, Fuma dashed away just as another bright incendiary lit up the darkness.

Fuma risked a look over his shoulder as he fled from his attackers, and quickly wished he hadn't. In the violent light of the explosion, he caught the faint glint of a forehead protector and the village symbol was easily recognized. In their studies at the Ninja Academy, every genin knew the symbols of the six major villages, but the people of Konoha knew one symbol in particular quite well: the musical note of Otogakure.

He was being pursued by the team from Sound Village.

Panic threatened to kick in, but Fuma knew it wouldn't help him at all. He needed to find a way back to Ame and Gemma… or at least even the playing field, if possible. To do so, he needed to get out of this grove and onto the steeper terrain of the mountain. He could separate the sound genin that way. Dodging right at the shrill whistle of a kunai, he heard the dull "thunk" as metal embedded itself in the tree next to him. Too close.

Fuma set off for the edge of the tree line. Hopefully he would be able to out run them, or at least cover most of the distance.

His path was cut off by the appearance of a shadowy figure. One of the sound ninja had separated from the others and cut him off, which meant they were the only thing standing between him and freedom. Gripping his short blade tightly, Fuma dashed forward with a downward swing.

The opposing ninja effortless blocked, but thankfully Fuma didn't intend to stick around for an exchange of blows. Using his sword and the other genin as leverage, the small Uchiha flipped over his opponent and dealt the genin a firm kick to the head. Fuma used that kick to propel himself out of the trees like an arrow shot from a bow.

He was just about to grin with his accomplishment when two more shadows shot out of the trees on either side of him, catching him in a pincer maneuver.

Fuma landed just as they were upon him, spinning in an effort to ward off his attackers. He managed to block one of the incoming blows, but the foot of another caught him square in the chest, knocking him onto his back, skidding across the ground. Fuma coughed, winded from the blow, but he pulled himself onto his feet quickly.

Dropping into a ready stance, he prepared for the next attack… just as the world lit up with another explosion. This time the force of the blast was so close to him that the small boy went flying, his sword jarred from his hand. Heat abraded his skin and charred his clothes, and Fuma could feel nearly every rock that cut and scratched his skin as he struck the earthen soil, rolling like a thrown ragdoll.

This time it was an intense effort to pull himself up, struggling to his feet. Fuma looked about, slightly dazed as he tried to locate his attackers. He turned upon seeing a fist out of the corner of his eye, soaring into his peripheral vision. By turning he offered the punch even more access to his face. The attack landed with a smash, lighting Fuma's vision with stars as it floored him.

"What have we here?" a masculine voice cut through the daze in Fuma's head, "A little Konoha rodent…"

"He's nothing more than a mouse," a female voice chuckled.

"A mouse with an iron foot," another male groaned, "I can still feel my ears ringing."

Fuma tried to get to his feet again, but this time he was incapacitated by an ear-splitting shriek. The noise was high-pitched, shrill, and it turned his muscles limp, which was horrifying because Fuma wanted nothing more than to cover his ears and curl into a ball to escape the noise… but he couldn't; he could only lay there and suffer.

Thankfully the suffering didn't last too long, ending as one of the sound ninja decided to gloat, "Not so tough when you can't set up your little traps, are you?"

"Give him a little credit," the girl snickered, "These gauntlets make you do the same thing, Boro."  
"Guh... shut up!"  
"Both of you shut up!" the first boy shouted.

"Does he have an orb on him?" the girl asked.

Someone's hands began patting him down, searching his jacket and pants for hidden pockets; Fuma could only lay there as his ears still rang and his body refused to respond. He felt sluggish.

"Nah," the boy, on whom Fum had kicked spoke, "He's got nothing… just this sword."

"It's for the best," the other boy said blandly, "We'd have probably broken any orb he was carrying."

"How troublesome," the girl yawned, "I say we kill him. His team can't complete the exam without three members, whether they get a pair of orbs or not. Eliminate the competition."

Panic kicked into overdrive, and Fuma threw himself onto his stomach. He tried to get his feet underneath him, but his limbs were slow to respond—it almost felt as if he were moving through water.

"No," the other boy said, obviously in charge, "We don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. Just turn his brain to mush, Amura, and we'll move on."

The girl let out a short, harsh laugh, obviously pleased with the order, "When I'm through… he won't be able to string two thoughts together."

Desperately, Fuma attempted to claw himself across the ground, anything to get away from these genin, but he was hit again with that high pitched screech. His entire body convulsed and he slammed onto his back, twitching and contorting as if he were having a seizure. Something warm began pouring down his face, from his ears, and as it reach his mouth… somewhere in the back of his mind, away from his pain, Fuma recognized the taste: blood. He was bleeding. They were going to kill him.

Panic, fear, anger, loathing, desperation… they all melted away in an instant…

And his world became red.

[…]

"This is moderator four," Naruto spoke into his communicator, "Everything in sector eighteen is clear."

"Glad to hear it," Kakashi's voice answered.  
"I'm moving on to sector twenty," the blond said again, "I'll check back in thirty."  
"You know I wait with baited breath," his former teacher responded.

"Perv…" Naruto grumbled, turning the device off.

He sped along the dark, mountain terrain, eyes carefully focused for any movement and his other senses also acutely aware of their surroundings. So far the night had been peaceful, which was unnatural for ninja... especially those in the Chunin Exam. Normally there were always teams who tried to gain the upper hand by using the cover of darkness, but Naruto hadn't run across any such thing.

Whether or not other moderators had witnessed action, he couldn't say, but Naruto was fit to be tied. Here he was, in the middle of the biggest event in the ninja world, and he was bored out of his mind. The blond came to rest on a prominent, rocky peak, overlooking a vast majority of the nightscape, and he turned his gaze up to the moon.

"You're probably laughing at me, aren't you…?" Naruto smiled forlornly in the soft white glow, "You always had an odd sense of humor, Neji."

If the night weren't so prone to playing tricks on him, the blond would have sworn he felt a hand on his shoulder. The sensation was so real, Naruto didn't want to turn around, didn't want to dispel the dream just yet. Instead, he placed his own hand over that of his phantom's and sighed… at peace.

"_Don't rest too easy…_"

Neji's cool voice came as a whisper. At times like this, Naruto didn't know if it was his own mind speaking to him… or if he really did get that one wish, the one he prayed for every night. No matter the options—they were all crazy—but Naruto didn't care, he enjoyed these visits, escapes from the certain realities he was forced to deal with.

"You worry too much," Naruto frowned.  
"_You don't worry enough, sunshine_."  
"Heh," Naruto chuckled at the nickname, "Funny how you think my hair is like sunlight."  
"_Why's that_?"  
"Because…" Naruto hummed, looking up at the celestial matron currently chaperoning their conversation, "Your eyes always remind me of the moon."

"_So you say_…" Neji chuckled, "_So you say_…"

"Are you here for long?" Naruto asked suddenly, wondering how long they had together.  
"_Not this time_…"  
"Oh," the blond was dejected for a moment, until he caught something, "Does that mean you'll be coming to see me again?"  
"_When have I ever left_?"

Naruto's face fell, "Don't make me answer that…"

"_I'm… sorry_," Neji said delicately.  
"I know…" Naruto whispered, gripping the invisible hand tightly.

There was a long period of silence where neither of them said a word. Naruto was almost ready to stand up and continue his rounds, thinking his spectral visitor had vanished on him yet again.

"_I did come for a reason_..." Neji said suddenly, very business-like... very "_Hyūga_".

"Oh?"

"_You're about to have a visitor. Be nice_..." The way Neji stressed the last two words made Naruto think he wasn't very much going to enjoy this visit.

He wasn't given much of chance to ponder who it could be, because at that very moment there was a sharp surge of chakra. Naruto would have recognized it anywhere, except… it shouldn't have been _here_. In a flash, he was gone toward the direction of the disturbance, leaving behind peace and happiness in favor of a chance at excitement.

He wouldn't have been the only jonin to notice it either, so Naruto quickly switched on his communicator to the "all-frequencies" channel, "This is Uzumaki. I'm headed to engage the disturbance in sector twenty-one. If I need back-up I'll signal."

There was a series of confirmations and "_understoods_" from the various moderators, and some perverted comment from Kakashi, but it was apparent that they had gotten his point. Naruto was going to deal with this alone, and extra people would not be needed… in fact they would probably get in the way… or get hurt, depending on what went down.

It only took a few minutes to reach the scene of the disturbance: a small, pine clearing next to a ravine. In it resided a genin team, one Naruto recognized very well: Kit's team. They weren't the source of the disturbance though… and Naruto silently moved around to locate it.

What he found was the mutilated corpse of a Kyoraiyama. It looked as if it had been hit by a plethora of weapons, stabbed in the mouth, and hit in the head with a rock; however, those things hadn't killed it… no, this beast had been suffocated—by sand.

The tiny, slithering granules were still leaving the fresh corpse, trailing their way back to the source. Naruto's head snapped up and caught sight of who had caused the disturbance.

"Gaara…" he breathed, still not quite believing it. He'd recognized the chakra signature, but, considering the way tonight had been going, Naruto hadn't quite expected it to be _real_.

"I knew you would be the one to come," the redhead said stoically, "I'm… glad. It means I won't have to hurt anyone."

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked defensively, "Only moderators are allowed inside the training area, you know the rules."

Gaara fixed him with a cold glare, those aqua-green eyes looking purely lethal, "I was checking on Kit."

"He's doing fine," Naruto responded tersely, and then motioned to the dead animal, "But you can't just shadow him through the exam. That's cheating."

"The Kyoraiyama was…" Gaara frowned, obviously deciding on the proper words, "an accident."

"And accident?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.  
"Yes."  
"How so?"

The redhead's brows knitted together in frustration. It was apparent he didn't want to talk about it, "I was… preoccupied. It surprised me. Things that surprise me—"

"End up dead," Naruto nodded, recalling on several occasions in the past where a surprise had almost ended in bloodshed where Gaara was concerned. In fact, he specifically recalled a certain redhead's birthday party, which had taken weeks to set up. The surprise had almost ended up being a massacre of the guests. Naruto had _never_ tried to surprise Gaara again after that.

"You weren't supposed to know I was here," Gaara said bitterly.

"You were coming for the weekend," Naruto shrugged, "I figured you'd stop by the house to pick up, Kitaka."  
"Yes," Gaara nodded stiffly.  
"But you'd have done it while I was on patrol," Naruto said sullenly, picking up on the other man's edginess.

Gaara's head gave a single nod.

Naruto let out a deep sigh, "You're never going to forgive me, are you?"

"You aren't the one who needs to be forgiven," the redhead spoke, his whisper murderous.

"Stop!" Naruto warned, a little too loudly. Kit wasn't too far away, and they didn't need the genin listening in, nor did he want Kit to see his parents arguing. The boy had a high regard for Gaara _and _Naruto, and the blond was not about to make him lose his idealization of _either _father… he was too young not to have heroes.

"Listen, Gaara," Naruto looked at him pleadingly, "You can't make Sasuke out to be a villain… he asked me to go, but… I left." The blond's shoulders sagged, "I'm the one who left, okay? So… blame me."

[…]

Gaara's face was still an emotionless mask, but his eyes softened just a bit, "You never think clearly when he's around."

It was a statement of fact. Gaara was a keen observer, and he could read people better than anyone Naruto knew… which only made him a bit more frightening, but it was also one of the redhead's greatest strengths. Naruto wouldn't have had him any other way.

"You're right," the blond laughed. It was a forced, soft sound of self-disgust, "And I was stupid… things could have been handled so differently..."

"Are you… happy?" Gaara asked tentatively, almost as if he were afraid of the question as much as he was the answer.

"Yes," Naruto answered instantly, but then he paused, "Sometimes… it, well it depends on… things are weird." Naruto turned and looked at the moon, his eyes suddenly becoming very distant.

The blond didn't see the look of concern that came over Gaara's features, nor did he see the discerning glint which took over the green eyes. Gaara could tell something was off with Naruto. He didn't know if Sasuke had done something, or if this was the result of an entirely different problem, a problem which he didn't know existed, but the redhead swore to himself that he'd get to the source of the problem. If it involved Sasuke, that would just be a bonus, but if it was something else…

Well, the Kazekage didn't like not knowing about problems that concerned him, and any problem with _his_ Naruto… was Gaara's problem.

"_No_," he was forced to remind himself, "_Naruto is with the Uchiha… he left you. He even admitted it_."

Gaara was used to chanting this mantra in his head by now, over and over again, trying to stop caring about the blond. Back in the day, he would have had another voice in his head that was all to ready to agree with him, but now he had to deal with this inner conflicts on his own—and no matter how he looked at it: Gaara loved Naruto, and Sasuke ruined that.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said, interrupting the odd silence.

"For what?" the redhead said awkwardly. He preferred silence. Silence was easy to handle, uncomplicated. You didn't have to do anything to gain silence, but talking… especially to other people, that was difficult. Gaara felt it would be so much easier to talk to people if he could read their minds.

"For everything," Naruto smiled sheepishly, obviously back to his normal self, "And for spacing out on you with my problems. It's not like you have to deal with them any more."

"Don't." Gaara looked at Naruto with a penetrating glare.  
The blond faltered, "Huh?"  
"Don't apologize. I…" the redhead pondered the right way to express his feelings on the matter, "I don't mind. It's… better when we talk."

Naruto looked at him as if he were shell-shocked, which unsettled Gaara, but the blond quickly smiled and nodded vigorously, "Yeah! It is!" The blond threw his arms around the redhead, and hugged him tightly. "I missed talking to you," Naruto whispered.

The blond's head was on his shoulder, so he wasn't about to see how red Gaara's face had become. It was silly for the Kazekage to blush over a simple hug, but Gaara couldn't help it. "I… missed you too."

They parted and Gaara quickly turned away, before Naruto could see his blush. This brought the clearing into view, and the redhead as able to see Kit and his companions clearly. They were talking in low voices, being careful not to draw attention to themselves. Gaara found it concerning that they had no idea that two, every deadly ninja were currently only a few dozen yards away from them.

"He's not ready for this," the Kazekage said bitterly, "He should have waited."

"It wasn't really up to me," Naruto muttered guiltily.

"You're his _father_," Gaara hissed, "You're supposed to be watching over him!"

"I do watch over him," Naruto countered, "But Sasuke is his team leader. If he thinks Kit it ready, then it isn't my place to keep him from taking the exam. Especially when he wants to..." A faint smile played across the blond's lips as he remembered Kit, when he spoke up in the Hokage's office. "He's ready for this, and anything that he's not ready for, I'm confident he'll overcome it."

Gaara was silent, contemplating what Naruto had said. "I just..."  
"What?"  
"It's hard not being able to be here, with you..." Gaara swallowed, "With Kit and Jira..."

Naruto's face hardened, "I didn't make you leave..."

Before any other words could be exchanged, both men's attentions were ripped westward by a violent explosion of Chakra. It was a huge presence, flaring up with an insane rage and heat before vanishing completely. Gaara looked at the horizon, where the presence had come from, and he couldn't help but think he'd felt that chakra before… it was so similar.

"Who?" the redhead muttered.

"No idea," Naruto looked concerned, "But it's way out of my designated sectors. One of the other moderators will have to look into it."

"Did it feel… familiar to you?"

"I don't know," the blond thought about it carefully, "I've never really sensed a chakra like that, well except for you, back in the day… when you got _really _angry."

Gaara nodded, his lip twitching as it wanted to smile for the first time that day, "I was thinking the same thing about you."

[…]

"Only one…" Eira muttered, grumbling under her breath, "We only ran into _one _team, and they were even weaker than the last!"

"There are still four days in the exam," Cala said, obviously disinterested in the gothic child's complaining, "You'll have plenty of chances to fight."

"But… you'll probably get bored and make us head to the tower soon!" the girl complained louder.

"If you keep up, the mistress might make you walk to the tower tonight," Mavrí warned.

"Neither of you are any fun!" the Lolita pouted. She crossed her arms defiantly and stuck out her bottom lip, but no other words escaped.

Cala looked at Mavrí with a thankful expression and then turned her attentions on more important things: mainly what their plan would be for the next day. There was little purpose in moving around at night… that much she had learned. Either the genin teams were active in another area, or they were making certain to avoid the shadow ninjas. Whatever the case, they had made little progress in the past few hours.

They would need more leverage to entice a bigger conflict, so Cala decided that they would spend the entirety of the second day collecting orbs. By her estimation it would take four pair to make them a good target. By possessing that many orbs, they would control the fate of at least a fourth of the possible candidates for the final exam.

The other teams would have no choice but to try and claim them, which would give Eira all the combat she could possible desire—and Cala would be able to eliminate a great deal of the competition. It was a good plan.

Just as she was about to drift off into a mediation for the night, Cala's musing were interrupted by a particularly brash explosion of chakra. Her blue eyes snapped open and her body turned automatically to look in the direction of the uproar. Such a chakra shouldn't have been present in these exams, but it had to belong to a genin.

Cala was certain of this because she had taken care to sense each of the jonin moderators individually. She knew what their chakra signatures were… which would allow her to avoid them if they began a dedicated pursuit. The new chakra didn't belong to any of them, which begged the question: who possessed such impressive strength.

"Ooh! Please say that we're gonna go look!" Eira was practically begging.

"No," Cala said, closing her eyes to return to meditation.

"Why…!" Eira moaned.

"Because these exams just got a little more interesting." The corners of Cala's lips turned upwards into a vicious smile. She couldn't wait until the final exam… she wanted to know exactly who that chakra belonged to.

[…]

Ame burst out of the tree line and onto the rocky expanse just before the land rose up into another peak. He and Gemma had followed the trail of battle to this point, but now the world opened up to rock and stone. The tall, pale youth didn't know how well they'd be about to track Fuma from here on out.

"The kikaichū are acting strange," Gemma said suddenly, "There's something really odd over that rock ledge." Without hesitating, Ame leapt for the ledge, landing atop it and looking down into a small gorge, which was more like a crater.

His eyes widened at what lay inside.

There were charred marks, scorched lines of earch where sand and rock had melted into bubbled lines of dark, macabre glass furrows. Craters, similar to the explosions they had followed, pock-marked the walls of the gorge and the ground… there were kunai, scrolls, and all manner of ninja implements scattered about, and most shocking of all was the amount of blood. Blood was everywhere, splashed and splattered across rock and dirt like grisly Jackson Pollock piece displayed for any and all to see… and in the center of this chaos stood Fumato.

The boy was standing, his arms limp at his sides and his head hung deeply so that his long, raven locks hid his face from view. From what Ame could see, the boy's clothes looked a little mussed, worse for the wear, but he was unharmed. On the other hand, the three bodies which lay around him barely looked human… they'd been burnt and torn apart by something.

The next thought that crossed Ame's mind was much more frightening—they'd most likely been ripped apart by Fuma.

Banishing the thought as quickly as it had come, Ame was besides the small boy in an instant, turning his head up and giving him a careful look-over, "Fuma? Fuma are you all right?"

The boy's eyes were glassy, but their pupils contracted at the sound of his voice. Ame knew he was responsive. He thought there might have been a faint red coloring to the irises, but closer inspection proved that to be a trick of the moonlight, because those charcoal eyes were dark as ever.

"Fumato!"

At the sound of his name, Fuma jerked conscious, instantly defensive as he leapt out of Ame's grasp. The boy raised his hand as if there were a weapon in it, even though he held nothing—Ame noticed that his hands were covered in dried blood.

"It's alright, Fuma…" he raised his hands in a nonthreatening gesture to show he was unarmed, "It's us…"

"…Ame?" Fuma whispered, looking at the pale boy as if he were a ghost.

The tall youth gave him a reassuring nod… and that was all it took.

Fuma launched himself into Ame's chest, sobbing. The smaller boy dug his hands into the long, pale tresses, leaving behind dim, red smudges of blood wherever they touched; Ame didn't mind this in the least as he pulled his teammate into a hug, "It's alright, you're fine!"

"No!" the boy cried, "No I'm not! They were going to kill me!"

"You're alright, shhh…" Ame couldn't think of anything to say. Here this… child was frightened of dying, even though he'd just horrifically mutilated three other genin with what appeared to be his bare hands. How could he not notice?

"I was… so scared!" Fuma's voice came up in muffled sobs through Ame's kimono.

"Gemma?"

The other boy was at Ame's side in an instant, "Yeah?"

"See if you can't find us somewhere protected… I think it's best if we make camp for the night."

Gemma nodded and vanished into the night, silent as a whisper, leaving Ame to console their small teammate… and wonder how something so small and innocent could cause a carnage far greater than anything the older boy had ever witness.

And travelling with Itachi Uchiha for three years… he had witness a great deal.

[…]

_The night is my realm._

_I see in the dark as well as most people see in the daylight. There is nothing within the shadows that is hidden from me, nothing at all. Darkness is everywhere, a part of everyone, which makes it a most useful tool. Where most eyes fail, my eyes thrive…_

_The night is my realm._

_Moonbeams dance along my footsteps, and the night's fury trembles in my wake. In my hands, the gentle caress of a cool eve can become a deadly blade—an assassin's glee. Ninja use my night, covering themselves in her cloak. They think it hides them, makes them travel with stealth and silence… but they are beacons. The eyes of the Majokage see all._

* * *

_**~A/N~**_

_**And that, as they say in show business, is a wrap for this chapter. The first day of the Chunin Survival Exam is over. How many of you were surprised? Anyone, nah... you probably expected all of that, huh? Yep. I'm sure you did.**_

_**Well, that's only the tip of the iceberg. I promise my next updates won't be nearly as labored as this chapter was (and I'm not planning on covering every day of the second exam, so if you were hoping for that... I apologize). Jira has kinda gotten the shaft in this chapter, so I'm going to have to see what he has to say for himself, but all in all I'm very happy with how this all turned out. So stick with me for the future, and I hope you all enjoyed yourselves with this week's updates.**_

_**~Sarai**_


	12. Mavri Attacks: Kekkei Genkai of Rage

_**Whew! Let me tell you, this was a long chapter! **_

_**I wrote it all in one day too! First off, let me give you a soundtrack to listen to (if you so desire). This entire chapter is pretty much ONE argument and ONE fight scene, so I'm sorry if you get bored. But for the argument I recommend listing to The Vitamin String Quartet's covers of Paramore, especially "Decode". For the battle, I reccomend listening to Two Steps From Hell and their piece called "The Black Blade". Now, this chapter has a great deal of cleverly placed plot devices and I also bring to light a new Kekkei Genkai (for anyone interested in that sort of thing. This chapter is also primarily focus on Mavri, so anyone who likes her? Yay for you!**_

_**As always I love reviews. I request reviews. I live on reviews. Review make me write faster. In fact, you can thank everyone who reviews my new story "The Apprentices of Baker Street", because their reviews spurred me to write all 8000 words of this chapter. That ended up being about 21 pages in MSword. So, REVIEW! Much love!**_

_**~Sarai**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Naruto: Kurashio**_  
_**Chapter 11 - Murky Depths**_

"I keep telling you," Gaara muttered, crossing his arms as he sat bitterly in the Hokage's office, "I don't need you to guard me."

"No," Naruto frowned at him, "You proved that you need to be _babysat_ when you snuck into the exam area. You're lucky you didn't get Kit's team disqualified."

"If the two of you go through this one more time," Tsunade warned, "I'm going to gag the both of you so I can get some peace!"

Gaara shot a withering glare in the old woman's direction, but he didn't dare mutter anything under his breath—he knew better. Naruto plopped onto the couch beside him with a huff, and crossed his arms as well, looking particularly unhappy. The Kazekage couldn't blame him. Naruto was supposed to be out there monitoring the exam, but, because of Gaara's rash behavior, the blonde was now stuck keeping an eye on him.

They both sat in silence, glaring at the Hokage—Naruto with indignant rage, Gaara with murderous intent. The mirrored postures and expressions were bound to be unsettling for the Leaf Village leader; Gaara figured as much, especially when he noticed the vein twitching in Tsunade's forehead. She was trying her hardest to ignore them, but it obviously wasn't working.

"Dammit to hell!" She shouted, throwing her hands up in the air, "Get the hell out of my office you two! And, Naruto," She pointed a finger at the blonde, "If he gets out of your sight, I'll have you sweeping the streets for a month!"

Naruto's jaw dropped, "But most of the streets are…"

"Don't. Let. Him. Out. Of. Your. Sight!" Tsunade snapped each word.

Naruto nodded his understanding and turned to look at Gaara, but the Kazekage was already opening the door and leaving. Gaara heard Naruto shout his name, but the redhead kept walking to hide a smirk. Sasuke was still out there in the mountains, and Naruto had to spend every minute keeping an eye on _Gaara_. This couldn't have worked out better for the redhead if he had planned it.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, spinning the smaller man around, "What's your deal? You heard what the old hag just said!"

"Then keep up," Gaara said bluntly.

They walked in silence, exiting the Hokage tower just as Kakashi came striding up. Gaara eyed the silver-haired man with disdain, which caused Kakashi to raise an eyebrow.

"Good morning, Gaara," Kakashi bowed slightly, "To what do we owe the honor?"

"Monthly visit," the redhead said, as if it were completely obvious.

"Ah, yes…" the older jonin chuckled sheepishly, "I'm sorry that you're son will be… ah… _absent_ for a majority of it."

Gaara nodded stiffly.

"Kakashi," Naruto greeted a bit too energetically. It was obvious that he was trying to distract the two men, "What brings you here?"

"Day two exam results," Kakashi offered, waving a scroll, "A couple of teams actually completed it last night."

"Really?" Naruto exclaimed, "That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah… it is," Kakashi hummed, "Considering Jira's team was one of them."

"No way!" Naruto literally leaped into the air, pumping his fist, "Take that Kakashi! Wait until Sasuke hears about this!"

"Yes, yes," Kakashi waved dismissively, "I must agree, you've trained them very well… but I'm afraid, if anyone gets bragging rights, it would be the Kazekage here."

Gaara's eyes widened just a bit in curiosity. If he had eyebrows, one of them would have raised ever so slightly.

"The remaining Suna team managed to make it to the tower at about… nine-thirty last night," Kakashi explained, "A good hour ahead of Naruto's team."

"Hm," Gaara mused to himself, "They did well…"

"Yes, they did," the silver-haired jonin nodded, "And that means there are only twelve more spots available… and three days left. Hopefully we'll see some more entrants make it through today. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Kakashi chuckled, "I think the Hokage is waiting for my report, and if you two have just left her…"

Gaara and Naruto shared a look which told Kakashi they had.

"…Well, then I think I'm going to have a lot of fun in there!" he gave the two of them a look, his eye twinkling with mischievous intent, and Kakashi walked into the Hokage tower without another word.

They stood there for a long while, alone in the street with nothing but a soundless void between them. Naruto still looked bitter, and Gaara didn't know what he could do to fix the mood. They had three days together, and, if the Kazekage had his way, he would rather spend those day enjoying his time with Naruto… not fighting. He needed to say something that would get the blonde talking.

"I want to kill him sometimes…" Gaara said, grumbling more than anything.

"Who?" Naruto looked at him oddly, apparently not realizing what prompted the statement.

"Kakashi," was Gaara's simple answer.

"Yeah, well… get in line," Naruto chuckled, "Tsunade's been wanting to do it for years."

"If something happens to Kit…" the redhead said lowly, his eyes glaring a hole into the side of a nearby building, "… I _will_ kill him."

Naruto looked at Gaara dumbfounded, and then, without warning, the blonde exploded, "Is that all you every think about! Killing people? If it's not killing people, it's figuring out what people have done wrong to you! If it's not that, then you're waiting until they do something wrong to you… so you can kill them! Do you ever do anything that doesn't involve being a paranoid, murderous, crazy person?" Naruto stopped his rant. He was breathing heavily, his shoulders heaving up and down as he panted… he'd said the entire tirade in one breath, which was remarkably similar to the way the Hokage had yelled the other day.

Gaara looked at Naruto coldly, but he didn't say anything.

"Ugh!" Naruto threw his hands into the air, "Aren't you going to say anything…?"

The redhead glared at the other man, his brow knitting in frustration as he tried to understand where things had gotten even more screwed up. He didn't know what to say. Gaara had been trying to convey his concern, not only for Kit… but for Naruto as well. Kakashi had tricked Naruto into getting the kids in the exam, Tsunade had said that much. If Kit got hurt, then Naruto would be hurt, and it would all be Kakashi's fault. Kakashi should pay for that, shouldn't he?

Things with Naruto were always so complicated to understand, but when it came down to it… the solution was always simple. It's not like the blonde was an overly complicated individual. Naruto did what he thought was right, and he stuck by that fiercely—Gaara knew this. He needed to stop over-thinking and just find out what Naruto wanted.

"I'm not always a crazy person," Gaara muttered in annoyance.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I'm not!" Gaara snapped.

Naruto snorted, "When are you not?"

"When we were together—" the redhead started.

"Don't even bring that up!" Naruto shouted, "You don't get to bring that up! We had enough of that last night, Gaara!"

"Well it's true!" he snapped back, "When we were together, everything was fine!"

"You were still kinda crazy," Naruto pointed, "Possessive crazy!"

"Like you weren't?" Gaara laughed harshly, "If I even looked at a woman you were afraid I was going to leave you! If anyone was crazy, it was you!"

"You did leave!" Naruto shouted, "I was right from the start!"

"You left first!"  
"And I apologized!"  
"Words don't make everything better, Naruto!"  
"They can certainly help things recover!"

The two of them stood there glaring at one another, huffing angrily. Gaara's sand was rattling in its gourd and he could see flecks of red speckle Naruto's irises. They hadn't been this angry in a long time, Gaara could tell. In fact, they hadn't ever had this fight—now that he thought about it.

This was a fight long coming, and they were both getting their issues out. Last night had only covered a small portion of their problems… and today only served to show how deeply the issue ran. The thought sobered the redhead, and Gaara breathed out… most of his rage going into the atmosphere.

"I…" Gaara started, "I'm… _sorry_." He never liked saying that word; in fact, he'd only ever said it to Naruto.

"What?" the blonde growled. He'd obviously been expecting something else to come from Gaara.

"I'm sorry," the redhead said again, more clearly this time. "I'm sorry I left…"

There, he said it. The thing he'd been keeping to himself for almost ten years, Gaara had finally said aloud to the one person that actually mattered… who had been affected by the action. It was something Gaara felt ashamed of, but he had been too proud to apologize before.

Naruto deflated, visibly wilting as his anger disappeared, "Me too, Gaara… me too."

The silence slid in again, and neither man was willing to make eye contact with the other. Gaara avoided looking at the blonde because he didn't want to see what was shown in those blue eyes. If Naruto was sad, then it would be his fault again, and if he were hurt, or angry, or resigned to indifference… the redhead didn't think he could handle those either. It was better just to let the silence fill the space between them.

Except the silence was unbearable this time, and for someone like Gaara, who normally enjoyed the silence, it was unnerving.

"I'm also sorry for pulling you away from the exam," Gaara offered, trying to coax the blonde into talking. Silence was easier when Naruto was talking.

"Don't be," Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. The blonde let out a sly laugh, "Besides, it's not like I was getting any action out there."

"Heh…" Gaara almost snorted, his mind coming up with several dozen lines he could throw out, particularly about "_why Naruto thought he'd be getting any here_?" or "_wasn't he supposed to be keeping an eye on the exam_?"; however, it was obvious from the look they shared that Naruto understood every lewd thought that was crossing his mind.

"Oh, no you don't, Gaara!" Naruto shouted, turning almost as red as the Kazekage's hair, "You get your mind out of the gutter this instant!"

"You're the one who put it there," Gaara responded craftily, "So I'll enjoy the trip, thank-you." At that, he left a blushing, sputtering Naruto to stand there, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, with no words coming out with which to refute the frustrating redhead.

The blonde hadn't even realized that the Kazekage was leaving, and, not wanting him to get into any trouble, Gaara turned, "Are you coming, or should I go buy a broom?"

Naruto shook his head rapidly, as if he could shake the thoughts and images from his head, and then he ran to catch up to Gaara. "Mental rapist…" Naruto hissed.

"It's not rape if you enjoy it," Gaara said bluntly, not missing how the blonde turned red again. The redhead merely shrugged and asked, "Ramen?"

Naruto's face did an immediate change and he nodded emphatically, "Yes, Ichiraku's!"

"Lead the way," Gaara said with soft smile.

[…]

Sasuke couldn't shake his feeling of dread. He hadn't run across anymore dead bodies—which he took as a good sign, but he hadn't been able to locate the trio of Shadow-ninjas either—and that was troubling him.

He'd spent the entire second day of the exam searching for them, but no matter how hard he looked, they weren't anywhere to be found. None of the other moderators had seen the Shady Trio either and added on to that… Naruto wasn't answering his communicator. Kakashi said informed him that Naruto had been reassigned by the Hokage, information which only caused Sasuke to worry more.

In fact, he was worrying so much; that the raven didn't even realize when he stumbled upon the very target he'd been looking for.

Sasuke burst out through a small pine grove and onto a flat, rocky mesa where two genin teams were faced off against the trio of Shadow Ninja. His sudden appearance caused all nine heads to turn in his direction. Sasuke locked eyes immediately with Cala, who was regarding him with cold indifference.

"What's going on here?" Sasuke ask sternly, trying to cover up his blunder with superiority.

"Nothing," Cala said with a smirk, "We were just having a polite conversation."

"Like hell, witch!" one of the other genin snarled, "You're going to hand over those orbs!"

Sasuke glanced in this boy's direction, noting that he was obviously from Kumogakure; in fact, both teams were from the Lightning village. According to the moderator reports, the Lightning Village teams were supposed to contain several impressive genin; though, Sasuke felt they would stand little chance against their current opponents.

"I would recommend you disperse," Sasuke said with authority, "This fight holds little purpose."

"Are you kidding?" one of the lightning village kunoichi practically laughed, "She has eight orbs! And you're saying we should just walk away. We'd almost be guaranteed to fail the exam!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, and he turned to look at Cala. In deed, wrapped up in the sash she wore around her waist, the shadow ninja had four sets of gleaming, glass spheres proudly displayed for anyone to see. How he had missed them could only be attributed to Sasuke's personal distraction.

"If you had any intelligence," Cala said with a smirk, turning to face the Lightning Village genin, "You'd listen to this moderator. He's only trying to save your lives… even though he's obviously breaking the rules."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke bristled.

"This confrontation was initiated by the Lightning Village," Mavrí explained, "According to the proctor: any fight that has strategic value to the exam cannot be interfered with. They wish to take orbs from us… we wish for them to fail; therefore, this battle has importance to the outcome of the exam."

The raven grit his teeth, looking from one side to the other… and he knew perfectly well that he couldn't interfere. The Kumogakure genin were dead set upon fighting, and if he interfered—not only would the Lightning Village have a reasonable complaint to lodge, but so would this new Shadow Village. He couldn't allow that…

"If you are intent upon fighting," Sasuke said coldly, "Then you will do so under my supervision. Any one—"

"I think we've heard enough," Cala cut him off, going to stand before Sasuke. She was much shorter than he was, but her imperious look rivaled anything the Uchiha could muster. "Mavrí."

"Yes, Mistress?"

"I believe this fight is yours," Cala spoke, never once taking her eyes off of Sasuke, "Deal with the insignificants. I'll make certain the moderator here does his _job_… and nothing more."

Sasuke took a step forward, "Now, you listen—"

"No, I think it would be wise for you to listen, and pay close attention…" Cala said coldly, "You're going to want to watch this."

[…]

At a signal from Cala, Mavrí turned and strode toward the two offending genin teams. With a brilliant flourish, she undid the strap which held her sword inplace and brought a large blade over her shoulder, slamming the sheath upon the ground before her soon to be opponents. As the sword struck a loud rumble shook the ground and a cloud of dust kicked up in a small radius around the impact.

The sight of such a large blade, even though it had not been removed from its casing yet, caused several of the Lightning genin to take a step back. Mavrí planted both of her feet wide and locked her blood colored eye upon the children before her.

"Know this…" she said, her deep voice sounding across the distance between her and the enemy genin, "I am the _bảo vệ_. To fight Mistress Cala you must first go through me… all of you. Until then none of you are worthy of speaking to her." With one hand, Mavrí lifted the giant, black katana and held it out before her level with the earth, "Should any of you feel you are not up to the task… leave now."

[…]

"See…." Cala smiled coldly up at Sasuke, "She's done her duty. They've had two chances to flee. If they die now, it is because they have chosen death."

"What's the game?" Sasuke's voice was lethal, "You and I know they don't stand a chance…"

"So it was you I sensed on the first day," Cala smirked, "I must say I'm sorry to see you unharmed. Not many have survived that technique, and none of the survivors went unscathed."

"Many powerful people have made the mistake of underestimating their opponent," Sasuke fixed Cala with a cold, emotionless stare, "I'm not about to repeat their mistakes… are you?"

"You aren't claiming a little _genin_ to be your opponent, are you?" Cala's right hand twitched in anticipation, almost as if she were begging the Sasuke to attack.

"I merely state a fact," Sasuke said, crossing his arms, "And I am only here to make certain nothing gets out of hand."

"Oh it won't…" Cala assured him, "I have everything under control."

"Six against one?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Even for a talented ninja, those odds don't favor anyone."

This was answered by a smile, a cold… vicious smile that took delight in the suffering of others. Sasuke wanted to flinch at the very sight of it, but he held back.

"Well…" Cala shrugged, "For a _talented_ ninja you would be right, but Mavrí has… certain _gifts_. Her people are trained for this from birth. She's in no danger."

[…]

"It's one girl," a lightning ninja scoffed, "So what if she has a big sword?"

"Dude… that sword is taller than you, and she's holding it with one hand," another boy muttered, "I doubt you could even pick it up."

"There's six of us, and one of her. Do the math moron!" the other boy snapped back.

"Are we doing this or not?" the kunoichi from earlier snapped.

"But… they keep saying we're going to die," the kunoichi from the second team whimpered, "I don't want to die."

"They just want you to be scared," the first boy scoffed, "So what if they look tough… we've taken on tough already… and there are enough orbs there for everyone!"

Mavrí raised her other hand to the sheath of her sword, drawing the blade out an inch, "Am I to assume that, since you have not fled… you wish to fight?"

"Damn straight, we're gonna fight!" the boy shouted.

"But…" the whimpering kunoichi took a step back.

"Very well," Mavrí nodded.

She kicked off the ground, landing in the center of the genin like a blur, faster than any of them could react. Mavrí drew her katana, spinning it in a wide arc. The steel flashed as blade the color of midnight sliced through a pair of unprepared genin. The boys fell to the ground—bisected—with looks of shock and horror on their faces.

The other genin rebounded, drawing kunai and leaping away, launching their projectiles at Mavrí as they retreated. The tribal girl moved the large, black blade as if it were little more than a bamboo rod, batting aside kunai like flies. It took a second to locate the positions of her opponents, and then Mavrí leapt into the fray again.

With a massive toss, she threw her sword. The melee weapon went spinning like a black disc for the kunoichi with the large mouth, stabbing her in the chest and pinning her to a large rock formation, holding her several feet above the ground. The poor girl gripped the blade, trying to dislodge if from the rock—but it was in vain. She didn't have the strength to perform such a feat in perfect health, and, with each passing second, what little strength she _did_ have flowed out of her and down the rock in a slow, trickling, crimson river.

Mavrí paid little heed to the girl, who was already dead; rather she carried her momentum on to the next opponent, engaging in close-quarters combat. The boy attempted to lash out with a kunai, but Mavrí ducked, her hand coming up to grab the arm holding the kunai. She dealt a swift strike to the boy's elbow with such speed that her arm was a distorted blur and, upon impact, felt a reassuring "_crack_" as the bone broke.

There was little time for another attack as she caught movement behind her. Mavrí spun, preventing the second boy from stabbing her in the back. With a leap straight up, Mavrí spun, dealing a sharp kick to both boys' chests and sending them flying onto their backs. As they went skidding across the dirt, Mavrí landed and turned to fact them again, "I promise you that running will no longer do you any good. If you flee… you will most assuredly die."

One of the boys didn't take her words to heart—the one whose elbow she'd just broken. Before Mavrí had even finished speaking, the boy turned and ran, fast as he could, but Shadow-nin's reflexes were faster. Her right hand whipped up, removing one of the throwing axes from her belt. She flung the projectile out-wide, and it hummed through the air, arcing as it came back around and caught the fleeing boy in the head. The momentum of the throwing axe knocked him off his feet, and the genin hit the ground as a corpse—a trail of his own blood raining down upon him.

Mavrí turned to the other boy who had remained. He was staring at her, totally horror-struck, with a kunai held in a shaking hand.

"You're not a ninja," she said bluntly, "You're a coward. Standing there and letting your friend die? Disgusting…

"You!" the boy sputtered, "What was I supposed to do?"

"You wanted to fight," she continued, "I'm only one girl… isn't that what you said?"

"You're not a girl!" the boy screamed, "I don't know _what_ you are!

"I am _bảo vệ_, the lost people… the tribe of shadows. We protect the night. Have you any honor in you; then you will face death without fear," Mavrí held her hands out to her side, planting her feet wide as if offering him an opening, "Face me."

The boy looked from one side to the other, as if gauging his own chances of escape, but one look at Mavrí's belt, and the axes that rested there, seemed to make up his mind. His hand began to shake more violently than before; then, with a shout of rage, he threw the kunai at her. Mavrí dodged it with ease, not even moving her feet, and, as she righted herself, Mavrí noticed the boy form a hand sign.

"_Kaminari Kurōn no Jutsu_!"

Three spheres of violent, blue light and smoke erupted around the boy, and as the smoke cleared he was surrounded by three clones of himself, composed entirely of lightning. Mavrí raised a dark eyebrow, impressed by the level of skill required for such jutsu.

"Ha!" The boy laughed, no longer looking as frightened as he had before, "You say I'm not a ninja… I spent all year practicing this technique. Let's see you try to stop it!"

The boy leapt high in the air, the three clones surrounding him in a tri-formation, "_Lightning Strike Tornado_!" He turned at the height of his arc, and fell straight for Mavrí, spinning like a small twister. The three clones mimicked him, vortexing around his position until the entire attack looked like a huge cyclone made out of electrical energy.

The vortex struck precise—a crackling, roaring storm, aimed directly for Mavrí, but the tribal girl didn't flinch, nor did she move. Mavrí merely crossed her arms in front of her face, spread her feet wide to brace herself… and the attack struck.

The mesa exploded in a flash brilliant, blue light and a cloud of smoke which billowed up into the sky.

[…]

Sasuke watched in horror as the attack struck the tribal, shadow genin full-force. Mavrí hadn't even gotten out of the way. She'd just stood there. He couldn't understand why? She was obviously much faster than the other genin; in fact, she could have stopped him from performing the jutsu at all. What was her plan? Was she wanting to die? Cala hadn't taken her eyes off him once, nor had the dark-haired girl once shown any concern for her comrade.

Meanwhile, the gothic, doll-like girl was cackling maniacally as she watched dirt and debris come clattering through the cloud of dusty smoke which had begun to envelope them.

"I don't know what you girls are playing at, but this isn't a game!" Sasuke shouted.

"We know that," Cala replied coldly, "It's the other genin who need to learn this lesson."

"Your teammate needs help… she could be—"

"Mavrí is fine, jonin," the girl snapped, "_**Watch**_."

Sasuke turned his eyes toward the impact site, impatiently waiting for the smoke to clear. It didn't take long before the scene quickly became visible, and Sasuke was floored by what he saw.

Mavrí stood in a large crater, one arm held out before her, blocking a lethal strike from a kunai held in the hand of the Kumogakure genin. Her other arm was wrapped around the necks of the three lightning clones, holding them immobilized even as they created blistering whelps on her skin.

"A protective jutsu?" Sasuke asked, not expecting Cala to actually answer.

"No," the girl said, surprising him. For the first time, Cala turned to look at her teammate, "Mavrí has no ninjutsu or genjutsu… her entire skill set is melee: taijutsu and weapons skills, but her tribal blood does have a particularly _interesting_ jinjutsu lying within it."

"A healing jutsu?"

"A benevolent _art_," Cala smirked, "It is both defensive _**and**_ offensive…"

Sasuke focused on the tribal girl, unknowingly accessing his Sharingan.

"An Uchiha?" Cala's eyes squinted, becoming narrow as she looked at him cautiously, "I'm afraid you'll learn no secrets from Mavrí with those eyes."

"Why?"

"Because," the girl's voice was cold, "It's already over…"

[…]

Mavrí's head was hung low, covered by her forearm. She could feel the sting of the kunai; it had pierced her flesh almost completely through, and it hurt… it hurt immensely. Slowly, she could feel the pain begin to burn in her veins, filling her body with strength… and rage. She could feel the heat in her muscles.

With a sharp flex of her other arm, Mavrí snapped the necks of all three clones—they vanished in a cloud of smoke. As she turned her eyes up to face the boy, she saw his fear… she saw him let go of the kunai and back away quickly, turning to run. Mavrí didn't care. No matter how far he ran, she could find him. She had the blood scent.

She brought her wounded forearm up, looking at the kunai embedded there. Grasping its handle with her other hand, Mavrí ripped the weapon out in one, swift motion. The blood began to flow more freely—a hot, pulsing stream. She watched it in fascination, feeling the change taking place in her veins; every time this feeling thrilled her… filled her body with excitation.

Then she was away….

Mavrí dashed, coming to stop in front of the boy—effectively cutting him off from his escape route. Mavrí smirked as he came skidding to a stop before her. The tall girl's hand shot out, wrapping around the boy's throat as he looked up at her in fear. She lifted the genin off his feet with ease, bringing him to eye level. She saw herself reflected in the white of her opponent's eyes, and she could see the faint, pulsing, red glow that had taken over her irises.

Strangely enough, the boy wasn't even looking at her face; something else seemed to have him terror-racked. Mavrí follow his gaze, her eyes trailing down from his face, to her hand, and up her arm to the wound he had inflicted. There, where the blood was flowing, that's where his eyes were fixated.

Mavrí could see the vital fluid leaving her body, through it had slowed to little more than a trickle now. She could also see what had frightened the boy even more than her glowing eyes…

The blood leaving her body was boiling.

The bubbling, red cruor began steaming, evaporating off of her flesh in waves of heated mist; as the blood dried, searing away, it left behind completely healed skin—no trace that a wound had ever been existed, leaving her tattoo's perfectly intact.

"You tried well," Mavrí told the genin, "Now… die well."

She closed her fist around the boy's neck, snapping it like a twig. The boy made a harsh, haggard sputtering-noise, and then his eyes rolled back into his head. No longer alive, Mavrí had no desire to hold onto the body any longer, so she dropped the carcass to the earth without a second thought. That boy was the fifth kill, meaning one more was still left.

Turning her eyes to scan the barren rocks, Mavrí noticed the small whimpering kunoichi—the one who hadn't wanted to fight. She was still standing there frozen to the spot, looking as if she wanted to flee. Her mouth was hung open in horror, like a scream had somehow gotten trapped in her lungs, unable to escape.

Mavrí frowned and went to retrieve her sword. She sheared it from the rock where it had embedded, releasing the corpse of the dead kunoichi which slid to the ground with a drawn out "_squelch_" and collapsed. Picking her sheath up from the ground, Mavrí went over to the petrified girl and snapped her fingers, jolting her from her shock.

"P-p-please… d-don't kill me!" the girl cried.

"You were not a combatant," Mavrí hesitated, about to lower her sword, "But…"

Mavrí turned to look at Cala, waiting for the order. Whatever decision her mistress made, Mavrí would follow without hesitation.

[…]

Sasuke watched in horror as the girl's fate was left in Cala's hands. The cold look in those ice-blue eyes told the Uchiha exactly what the decision would be.

"This fight is over," Sasuke said in a commanding tone, "This girl didn't even take place in it… your teammate won. Now it's over!"

Cala regarded him with a lazy glance, "The fate of the individual is decided by the choice of the group. In war, no single life is spared and individual circumstance… every citizen is judged by the decision of their country… in this exam, it is no different. You suffer because of the decision of your team. The individual influences the group, as much as the group decides for the individual." With a sharp nod toward Mavrí, Cala signed her decision.

Sasuke barely had time to think, reacting upon instinct.

In an instant he was between Mavrí and the other genin activating Amaterasu. Black flames exploded into existence, burning a wall between himself and the tall, tribal genin. Sasuke pulled the Lightning Village girl back, away from the heat of the flames, but Mavrí's swinging blade carried her directly into the roaring, dark inferno.

Sasuke winced, knowing that the shadow genin would be cinders in moments…

…but Mavrí walked through Amaterasu like an ominous monolith, the black flames clinging to her form and dancing across her body. Her skin was charred, eaten by the black flames… but there should have been more damage. Dark, coagulated blood clung to Mavrí's frame, bubbling violently, and, to Sasuke's shock, the boiling blood began to eat the dark flames, snuffing them from existence.

As Mavrí drew closer, her eyes began to glow with intense light—a shimmering, sanguine brightness that over took her irises—and her skin began to mend itself almost instantly.

"_So __**this**__ is a kekki genkai… exhibited as a jinjutsu,_" Sasuke thought in horrific fascination, "Incredible…"

Mavrí swung her blade wide, slinging the leftover flames from Amaterasu towards Sasuke. This caught him off-guard, but with his Sharingan activated he had more than enough time to react, extinguishing the black fire before it reached him or the girl he was protecting.

"Stay as far away from us as you can," Sasuke warned her, "If you see a chance… run."

Before the tribal girl and her monstrous ability could get any closer to her target, Sasuke engaged Mavrí in close quarters. Her blade came swinging at him, and he blocked its momentum with a kunai. The blades struck together, spraying sparks, and Sasuke couldn't believe the sheer weight of the sword his opponent was swinging. The force behind it nearly dislocated his arm!

Not wanting to risk competing with such a blade, Sasuke deflect the strike and flipped, striking her sword hand with his fist while kicking the large weapon at the same time—effectively disarming Mavrí. Thinking this might give him and advantage, Sasuke twisted to send his kunai stabbing toward the girl's head, but Mavrí's own hand intercepted his attack. She grasped his wrist, performing an impressive grapple, simultaneously disarming him, in turn, and sending him flying.

The Uchiha managed to right himself in mid-air, landing roughly on his feet and coming to a skidding stop. He was impressed with the level of skill this genin possess… if she even _was_ a genin, which he was having doubts about.

Mavrí was paying him little attention. She turned toward the Lightning genin, focused upon her orders. Sasuke lunged, catching the tall girl off guard with a knee to the head, which sent Mavri's tumbling. "_Alright_…" Sasuke grinned, "_Perhaps she __**is**__ a genin after all_…"

Rolling to her feet, Mavrí turned her gaze fully upon Sasuke—her eyes blazing fully red now. In an instant, much faster than Sasuke had calculated, the Shadow-nin was upon him. Her fists shot out for his head, torso, and kidneys with blurring speed and incredible accuracy. The raven found that he was forced to fully block every blow, each of which had immense force behind them, and Sasuke was afraid they might shatter bone.

Apparently Mavrí was able to wield her huge weapon by sheer strength alone, unaided by other means. This was apparent to Sasuke by the extraordinary amount power she placed behind her punches. The Uchiha felt as if he were being pummeled by a locomotive, or a steam piston, and, as s Mavrí he continued raining blows against him, Sasuke was forced to push Sharingan to the limit… predicting where her strikes were going to land before she threw them—and then slapping them aside, deflecting her attack rather than blocking. A full block, he determined, could be just as damaging to him as a hit, and Sasuke wasn't willing to risk it.

Mavrí had Sasuke on the defensive for several moments, while he was trying to work out the timing and sense an opening. Cala hadn't lied when she said Mavrí relied solely upon melee combat; this girl might not have any jutsu to fall back on, but if she kept at her opponents like this, Sasuke could easily see Mavrí pummeling them into a bloody pulp.

Then he saw his opening: a chance for a grapple.

He knocked her next strike high, spun into her defensive zone, and struck her square in the chest with his other elbow. The strike sent Mavrí stumbling backwards. Sasuke's next attack was a wide, swinging punch sent directly for the tall girl's throat.

Mavrí's next feat was a move that almost defied gravity. Rather than try and block the blow, she bent her body with it, using Sasuke own force and momentum to push her body into an arm-free cartwheel. The blow didn't even do any damage to her, she flowed around it like water, and the next thing Sasuke knew—one of her feet was slamming him in the face.

As he went staggering backwards, Sasuke was marveled—and literally floored by the mastery of her taijutsu. She had not only nullified his grapple, but she had performed a counter attack within the confines of her defensive maneuver. Sasuke was glad Sharingan had been active, because he would definitely be reviewing that move for later study.

Getting to his feet, Sasuke quickly performed several hand signs, planning to end this fight before it escalated any further. Blue lightning arced to light in a circle around him, jumping into his outreached hand as he prepared to strike with the Chidori. Mavrí took a defensive posture, but Sasuke could see where she was going to evade, and he planned accordingly. If he managed to wound this girl enough… he could remove the Shadow team from the Exams.

Yes, he'd be punished and Konoha would probably be penalized—most likely by removing Sasuke's own team from the exams—but it would be worth it in the end.

Taking no time to second-guess himself, Sasuke lunged, throwing his hand at Mavrí's lower abdomen, aiming to severely wound the girl's bodily functions… hopefully beyond her own ability's rapid regeneration. Mavrí's eyes widened in shock as his attack intercepted her dodge, and Sasuke knew he had her…

…when suddenly, a hand gripped his wrist from out of nowhere. Sasuke frantically looked right to see Cala holding onto him. With her other hand she perform a series of hand signs, and then pointed her free arm to the ground. Her black iron fingernails sparked with static as the Chidori leapt from Sasuke's palm. The lightning coursed from Cala's hand on his wrist, through her chest harmlessly, and fired into the ground… completely neutralized.

With a rough shove, Cala threw his hand away with such force that Sasuke stumbled back a step. "That's enough, Mavrí. We're done here," Cala turned her back on Sasuke and made to leave.

The Uchiha wasn't about to just let that slide, "Wait… leave the girl be."

Cala turned her head slightly, giving him a look that said he was completely foolish, "She is no longer an issue. While you were preoccupied, Eira removed her from the equation. There is no longer a need for this conversation."

Confounded, Sasuke turned to where he had left the genin from Kumogakure. Sure enough, she was dead—her neck slit so fiercely that she was almost decapitated—and the Lolita girl was skipping back to stand at Cala's side.

Enraged, Sasuke turned towards the three Shadow-genin, "She was not a part of this… you didn't need to kill her."

"I have already explained this," Cala's voice dripped with boredom, "Not only will the exam committee rule in our favor, but if I brought up the little scene you just displayed… you would most likely be severely reprimanded. So, Jonin of the Uchiha clan, I recommend we both go our separate directions… and I suggest that you would be _wise_ to follow us no longer."

"What you just did was murder," Sasuke snarled.

"What I just did was eliminate a leak of information," Cala countered, "Which any ninja would do, not only to protect their secrets… but also themselves from future retaliation."

The raven was furious, but the more he looked at it… he really had little course but to let them go. If he tried to detain them, Sasuke knew he'd be in for a fight. Not that he couldn't win, but was it worth the risk without back-up?

"This isn't over…" Sasuke warned them, his eyes cold and black as the Sharingan had long dissipated.

"Oh, I think it is," Cala said, turning her back and waving good-bye, "Or it will be if we meet again, Jonin."

As they disappeared off into the distance, Sasuke finally breathed out his tension. Quickly, he brought up the hand that had form the Chidori, removing his glove and pulling back his sleeve.

There was a burn on his wrist, red and sweltering and shaped like a gripped hand… he even saw the differentiation of fingers and palm—and where each fingernail should have been, the flesh was charred, burnt... blackened as if it had been set on fire. Looking at the sleeve of his jumpsuit, Sasuke could see that holes had been burnt through it in the same location… the same places that Cala's metal nails had touched.

"_The Chidori hurt me when she redirected it_…" he breathed, "_Why was she still able to __**stand**__ after it went through her entire body_?"

[…]

It was the evening of the third day and Fuma still hadn't spoken a work about that first night. Ame was worried, constantly looking at him; Gemma acted as though he couldn't care less, but every time Fuma caught his eyes… he saw fear. Gemma couldn't even look at him without showing that fear.

The truth was that Fuma couldn't remember anything after he blacked out. He remembered them talking about doing something to his brain, he remember that horrible shrill noise… and then everything went red. Shortly after that he passed out, and when he woke up, Fuma had seen Ame. The very first feeling he'd had was relief. Fuma had been so happy to see his teammate, he had automatically thought they'd been the ones to save him, and he didn't care how brutally they'd done the job either.

Those Sound Village genin deserved what they got, but when Fuma learned Ame and Gemma hadn't done anything and when Fuma couldn't remember anyone else there, the logical conclusion drawn was: Fuma had somehow defended himself.

Ame's theory was that he'd unconsciously accessed Sharingan, something he said was logical because Sasuke had it. Fuma could accept this, because everyone expected him to get something from his dad's blood. Fuma would even have accepted this answer because he remembered seeing red, and he assumed that everything would look red through Sharingan, because his dad's eyes turned red when he used Sharingan… but if that was the case—shouldn't he remember something?

Sharingan was supposed to copy the moves of other ninja, saving them for use and study. Fuma still had no recollection of his ordeal, nor any insight into _how_ the Sound genin had performed their jutsu… he didn't know anything more than he had before the attack. So, Fuma highly doubted it was Sharingan, as much as he wanted something to share with his father.

Gemma had suggested that Fuma was a psychopath… like Sasuke had been as a kid, claiming that his father had been a crazy murderer. This of course led to Fuma attacking him like a wildcat, literally beating the boy until Ame had pulled him off.

No one talked about his dads like that, Fuma wouldn't let them. Now that he thought about it, Fuma figured his reaction could be what was making Gemma afraid. Gemma had always picked on Fuma, boasting about how small he was… but Fuma had trashed him soundly—without jutsu or form, which made him think that Gemma was just a bully.

If they ever had to actually fight, Fuma now felt confident that he could take the other boy with ease, something he was quite pleased with.

"How are you feeling?" Ame asked, coming to sit by Fuma. The tall boy smiled warmly as he did so.

"I'm fine," Fuma stated.

Ame looked at him as if he didn't fully believe.

"Really," the smaller boy added with some enthusiasm, "Nothing hurts… I don't know how to explain it, but I think someone else may have saved me and moved on. Perhaps the Sound genin had an orb on them worth taking?"

"If they did," Ame sighed, "That means we missed out on an opportunity, and our job is getting harder."

"No luck finding a shrine?" Fuma asked dejectedly.

"None…" Ame nodded his own disappointment. "Gemma has had the hive out searching for miles. Any shrines they find have already been emptied. I have a feeling it's going to come down to skirmishes, especially this close to the end of the exam."

"Two more days…" Fuma muttered.

"One more if we're lucky," Ame chuckled.

"Ame…"

"Yes?" the boy turned to face the young Uchiha, his pale hair falling across his face, "Do you know why my dad, Naruto… not Sasuke… do you know why everyone is afraid of him?"

"I… don't know if it's my place to say anything," Ame said, trying to dodge a touchy subject.

"Jira knows," Fuma said bitterly, "I can tell. And I think Kit knows because Jira told him… but I don't. No one will tell me when I ask them either."

"Because," Ame said calmly, "It's something that's very private to your father… and it's something he should be able to tell you. Besides, what makes you think there's anything wrong?"

"It's the way people look at me…"

"Come again?" Ame said with a smile, "The village adores you."

"Yeah, but they still give me this look, when they think I can't see them…" Fuma explained, "It's the same look they give Sasuke… and even more people give it to Naruto. It's… it's like they're afraid. It's the same look we give to monsters in those movies… like they're afraid for their lives."

With a deep sigh, Ame brushed his hair out of his face and leaned back, "Has anyone ever told you that you're too observant?"

"Yes." Fuma nodded seriously, "Gemma says it's creepy."

"Well, never mind what that idiot says," Ame waved dismissively.

"I heard that!" Gemma snapped from the other side of the camp.

"Anyways," Ame continued, "People are afraid of things they don't understand. Take your Uncle Itachi for example. They give him the same look, don't they?"

Fuma nodded.

"Well, that's because he was one a Missing Nin, and he was a member of Akatsuki before your fathers destroyed it," Ame's face became serious for once, "Itachi is a good man… but people don't understand why he did the those things in the past. Because they don't understand, they chose to be afraid… and they chose to hate."

"It's stupid," the boy growled, muttering angrily, "Uncle Ita is hilarious."

"I agree," Ame's laughter fluttered into the night like butterflies, putting Fuma's mind somewhat at ease. They slipped into a comfortable silence, listening to the sounds around them. Cicadas, owls, the hum of insects… some of which probably belonged to Gemma… all the sounds convulsed into a midnight opus, a symphony of cacophonous sounds which somehow put the evening into a peaceful harmony.

"Are you saying they're afraid of me… because they don't understand me?" Fuma asked finally.

"They're afraid…" Ame said thoughtfully, "Because you're young… and they don't know what you can do."

"You said that I could get Sharingan from Sasuke," Fuma said thoughtfully, "Is there anything like that I could get from Naruto?"

Ame looked at the hope in Fuma's eyes, and the older boy was sad with his answer, "I'm afraid not. Sharingan is a kekkei genkai. To my knowledge, Naruto doesn't possess one."

"Oh…" Fuma said dejectedly.

"But, that doesn't mean you have nothing in common with him," Ame winked, "After all… you have his whiskers!" At this, Ame flicked the boy's face with his index finger and dart off across their camp before Fuma could retaliate.

Rather than chase his flighty teammate, Fuma sat there and looked up at the night sky, musing about the things Ame had said. He thought about how people viewed his family, and he felt very sad about it. Many people probably thought about Sasuke the same way Gemma did… he'd probably heard those things from his parents.

How did people talk about Naruto? Or Jira? … or even Kit? Did everyone talk behind their backs?

They were thoughts which threatened to depress him, so Fuma did what Naruto always suggested and thought about something else, something that would make him feel better. At that moment his stomach decided to growl, and Fuma realized just how hungry he was.

"See!" Ame called out, "You have more related to Naruto than you realize!"

Fuma laughed at this statement, noticing that it was very true. He got up and went over to where the packs were, opening up his own bag to pull out some rations, and there—shoved in between his spare jacket and his food sack—sat a blue orb. Fuma pulled it out gently and called out to his teammates, "Hey, guys… I think I found the Sound team's orb."

* * *

**_~A/N~_**

**_1) Jinjustsu is defined as a healing action or benevolent art, so in my story... all healing jutsu is going to be refered to as jinjutsu (I don't know if that is accurate for Naruto-verse, but I'm making it accurate for my story. Hope you can live with it)._**

**_2) For anyone who is interested, and because I'm probably not going to go into THIS much detail for the story. Mavri's Kekkei Genkai is called Gyeogno Bảo Vệ, which basically means "Protector's Rage". It is a powerful, passive healing jutsu that repairs any damage to Mavri and rebuilds the tissue stronger than before. That is why her people, the Bảo Vệ, carve tattoos into their skin (rather than using in). The bloodline activates at an early age and begins building their muscle to incredible strengths. This is also why Mavri can swing her huge sword with ease. Another affect of her Kekkei Genkai is that it pumps an overload of adrenaline, which increases her speed and strength while she is healing. So the more damage she takes, the more deadly she becomes... but it also uses up her blood for the healing process, leaving her severely weak afterwards. There is always the danger of her bleeding out, because while it heals her body... she does not regenerate blood at an advanced rate. Bảo Vệ are known to purposefully injure themselves in times of peace, to make certain that they are strong for when wartime comes._**

**_3) Another intersting fact, Bảo Vệ are only assigned to protect apprentices of the Majokage and the Majokage herself (this is not a spoiler because Cala was revealed to be an apprentice of the Majokage when she first appeares in chapter 7)._**

**_4) Bảo Vệ is vietnamese for "Protector". Since Mavri's clan was brought to the land of the Five Nations by the Majokage, they obviously come from a country BEYOND. I felt it would be best to look for another asian language other than Japanese. Because of this, I found a beautiful for for Mavri... and I hope that you all come to enjoy her quirks as much as I do. _**

**_Ciao!_**


	13. Shadow Ninja Roadblock: Cala Unleashed

**Alright, some quick notes:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **If I did... there would be a higher rating, plastic wrap on the volumes, and it would be a yaoi series.** Nough said!**

**_As for this chapter? It was huge... it went from being 9,100 words in it's original draft, to being about 11,000 words in the editing phase. Yeah. It was huge, so rather than make one MONSTER of a chapter, I've gutted it and chopped it into two updates, which took more editing than I wanted to do, pushed me beyond my deadline... but well: you get two chapters to N:K instead of one. Win-win. This chapter finishes the second Chunin Exam... and starts the process for the next part. Hopefully everyone enjoys it... and I'm going to post both chapters, rather than make you wait... because I'm so nice! Much love!_**

**_Read and Review!  
_**

**_~Sarai_**

* * *

_**Naruto: Kurashio**__**  
Chapter 12 – Glass Sheen p. 1**_

_Some stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. These are the fairy tales, the history lessons… the droll, unsavory, bland morsels that come from the mouths of storytellers—people who recount the deeds and actions of others but have never once experienced such life for themselves. _

_No, a truly fascinating story has no specific structure… no designated form. A good story is a living, thriving entity. It changes as it needs to, supplying information and details that you would not normally get… there is no beginning… there is only the recounting. That effervescent sense of anticipation, intangible and fully gripping a listener… until the ending: that final climax of events, where the entire story culminates into the grand finale—a crescendo of masterful occurrences._

_Sometimes, in order to understand those occurrences…_

_One must go back to their origins._

[…]

Fumato was transfixed by the orb in his hands; he had been ever since finding it that night. He'd been so shocked upon seeing it lying there in his bag… his body had literally shut down, and it had taken him several hours to recover

Ame had attributed it to his exhaustion, and Gemma had muttered several comments that were probably insulting, but Fuma didn't really care. The only thing he did care about was that he could remember that night.

Not everything—and he was silently thankful for that—but the moment he had touched the orb, had smelled the blood, a rush of violent images had flooded his mind. Grisly apparitions, black and red, violence tinged with blood and fire… and death. Fuma had felt nauseous, and his entire stomach twisted itself into knots, but no matter how hard he tried to put the orb down he couldn't quit staring at it.

And he knew the reason why…

He had killed those genin from the Sound Village. No… killed wasn't the appropriate word.

He had mauled them.

This orb was a constant reminder, and it kept his emotions tempered between apprehension and fear. Fuma still didn't know how he had done it, or even if he might do something like that again. All he knew was this: he never wanted to do something like that again.

The first instinct in him was to flee, to go running to Naruto. His dad had a way of understanding these things, or at least Naruto could always put things into good spirits with comforting words and that carefree smile of his… but Fuma refused to seek that comfort.

He couldn't ruin this exam for his teammates… especially when he'd already wasted so much time. Because they had waited for him to recover, they'd lost nearly a full day. Plus they had been forced to backtrack in order to find him. Because of all these delays it was already the final day of the exam, and they still hadn't made it to the tower. Fuma knew that if they failed the exam; he would be the one to blame.

"Fuma?" Ame's voice cut into his thoughts.

The boy looked up out of the corner of his eye, but didn't respond.

"Why don't you let Gemma hold onto that?" Ame offered gently.

Fuma shook his head rapidly. He wasn't going to let go of what he did so easily.

Ame moved in front of him at that point, effectively halting Fuma from going any further. The long haired boy crouched low and put a hand on each of Fuma's shoulders.

"Listen to me, Fuma. I know what you're going through, and I can only imagine what you must be thinking. I'm… _sorry_ we couldn't help you, but we're nearing the tower. We could be attacked at any moment, and I'm going to need your help… so is Gemma. I promise you that we'll be in it together this time," Ame's eyes had such a somber look to them; it was more than remorse… it was sorrow. Fuma had a feeling that it was more than just an apology, almost as if Ame were guilty about something else… something long buried.

"But what if I hurt you?" Fuma whispered. He had almost mentioned Gemma, but deep down the young Uchiha wouldn't mind giving Gemma another good thrashing… or two.

"I don't think you'd ever do something like that," Ame said softly.

"Did you think I could do what happened in the clearing?"

Ame paused in his response, obviously having to think about Fuma's argument. "I think…" he said finally, "That we sometimes have to do terrible things… in order to survive. We aren't proud of them, but they don't control us either."

There it was again: that look of intense shame… Fuma had a feeling that Ame knew what he was going through better than the older boy was letting on, and strangely, Fuma didn't feel suspicious; rather he felt a stronger connection with Ame because the other boy could understand his guilt… and Fuma could understand the desire to not talk about it.

Reluctantly, Fuma nodded and held out the glass orb to Gemma. At first, the other boy looked as if he wouldn't even come near him, but, at a sharp glance from Ame, Gemma sighed and snatched the orb from Fuma's hand, stashing it somewhere within his coat.

Having let go of the fragile sphere, Fuma could already feel some of his anxiety fading. He was still worried about what kind of person he was, what his fathers would think when they learned about what he'd been capable of something so horrific… but somehow he also felt relieved of a burden. Fuma knew for certain that Naruto would tell him not dwell on what had happened. It would only make him unhappy and distracted, and as Kakashi always said—"_A distraction can lead to death in an instant; therefore a distracted ninja is a __**dead**__ ninja_."

"Thank you…" Fuma whisper lowly so that only Ame could hear him.

"My pleasure," Ame gave him a wink and then moved to continue walking, his hair fanning out in the breeze as he turned.

The next few minutes of their trek were silent, a peaceful bliss for Fuma. Not a single thought entered his mind other than listening to the world around him, alert for any small disturbance. He was focused, attuned, and his mind wasn't wandering… things were looking better. The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountain top in the distance, which meant it was a few hours until noon, which meant lunch. Fuma's stomach got excited at the thought.

As the golden rays of light began to filter in to the rocky valley where they walked, they revealed the gleaming red and gold spire of the Mountain Tower. Fuma and his teammates walked up to the precipice of a nearby ledge in order to get a better view further down into the valley and of the tower itself.

The tower was the three story edifice composed of red stone and golden filigree, and it had a single, entrance of two, high-vaulted, golden doors. Descending from the entrance was a series of large, platform steps, which reached from the doors, down the mountainside, and into the valley floor. Each step was a good ten meters or so in length and depth, about the size of a small sparring ring, and there were about two dozen of these large steps leading from the ground to the entrance. It wasn't a difficult climb at all, but the fresh sunlight also brought a rather alarming scene into view.

A huge crowd of genin stood at the beginning of the platform steps leading up to the spire. There were about fifty or so genin in total. Some where standing on the first step while the others were scattered about the base of the steps and out in the valley, watching carefully; however, the odd thing was that no one made any attempt to advance toward the goal. Fuma's eyes drifted further up the steps, and he soon released what had the genin teams stalled:

The three genin from the Shadow Village stood on the second step, blocking the way for anyone wanting to make their way into the tower. They stood in a triangular formation, the gothic girl and the one that looked like a giant stood back several paces while the girl with the cold, blue eyes stood at their lead.

Yet again, Fuma found himself wondering about the woman in the alleyway… and how this girl looked so much like her. They both had the same cold eyes—unflinching, unwavering, unfeeling… like ice. She stood alone, facing down the gathered crowd of genin without hesitation, while the golden sunlight reflected off of her glossy hair like polished onyx, casting the girl in a light that made her seem almost ethereal—a monolithic goddess of old, daring anyone to question her authority.

It was then that Fuma noticed the steps behind her, each littered with a scattering of bodies that trailed from the door of the mountain spire, to the step just behind the Shadow genin. From his count there were about fifteen bodies, and they were all most certainly dead… if the spattering patterns of red marks and pools of blood were any indication.

"We need to get down there," Ame said. His voice was tense, worried, and Fuma knew why. Those bodies could be anyone, and the one thing he didn't want to find out was if it was anyone they knew.

"Are you crazy?" Gemma shrieked, "We need to find another way in, not go to where people are getting killed!"

"There isn't another way in," Fuma pointed to the tower, "No windows, and the roof is metal."

"Well what kind of genius designed this place?" Gemma groaned.

"An architect who wanted to test up-and-coming ninja," Ame said pointedly, "The steps are practically designed for battling. If a genin team is smart and strong enough, they could conserve their strength for a single battle and ambush another team which had already done the legwork… It's a good approach, but it seems like the Shadow genin have taken such a strategy to an even greater height."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't have time to sit around here discussing it," Ame dismissed, running toward the ledge, "You'll see when we get down there…" His words trailed off into the wind as he leapt, soaring into the sky and dropping quickly from view.

Fuma gave a look to Gemma, as if asking him if he wanted to go next.

"Are you crazy?" the boy replied, "I'm not going down there."

Fuma shrugged and tightened the strap on his sword, making certain that everything was securely fasted before starting his own running leap.

"You're both insane!" Gemma called after him, but Fuma didn't hear nor did he care. As he launched himself from the precipice, the wind blowing through his hair washed away all his apprehension and doubt as it roared in his ears. He felt the freedom of falling, the excitement of the next potential fight, and Fuma knew—no matter what he might do in the future—he was made for this.

[…]

Cala stood with her toes less than an inch from the edge of the step, looking out at the crowd of insufferable children. That's what they were. They weren't fighters; they weren't ninja… they were pathetic, ill-equipped children. This is what the world offered as ninja today? Such a thing was disgraceful. Cala couldn't understand what the Majokage's interest in this event was, but if she could keep this throng of pitiable weaklings from going any further… then she would take great pleasure in it.

Not that she hadn't been enjoying herself, no, it was quite the opposite. Her challenge had started at the top of grand steps, and she'd been slowly working her way through each insignificant challenger. The genin were getting smarter as time went on. Fewer of them charging recklessly; some attempted to circumvent her altogether, while others plotted what they believed would be an intelligent attack—but everything ended the same… blood and darkness.

Perhaps that was why no one had attacked her in the past few minutes. Had they finally come to realize the futility? As if desiring to prove her wrong, a trio of genin on the step below launched themselves at her.

A smirk played its way upon her lips, just a feint sign of the humor she found in the situation. Still… she had to give them credit. They had guts, considering how many before them had failed with the same tactic, and they were quite coordinated. The three genin moved in almost perfect synchronization, three fluid attacks aimed to strike her at once, possibly hoping that one of them would get lucky and land a blow.

How utterly _**foolish**_.

"_Remember, Cala… the ninja is not a warrior…_"

The words of her training were always present like shadows dancing through her mind, reminding her of her purpose and her skill. As the three genin struck, Cala was already a blur of motion. The one on her right was aiming high, a little too high… a _pity_ for them. Cala ducked, dashing sideways. She put just enough distance between herself and the other two genin that her evasion threw off the synchronization of their assault. As she passed under her attacker, Cala could see the look of shock on his face, it only increased the hilarity of their failure.

"_The ninja is not a defender, nor are they diplomat, guardian, or peacemaker…_"

Cala brought her body into a spin, lashing out with her hands as the boy passed over her. She could feel the resistance as her nails met flesh, the rough hewn of the cloth and leather… the heated rush and the warmth of the blood… that dull, deflated crunch as the body hit the ground limp and lifeless.

"…_is not human. The ninja is a tool… lethal—precise. You do not feel. You do not hesitate…_"

As she came upright, Cala twisted and back stepped closer to her next opponent, closing the distance between them before the girl could bring up her slow defenses. The next attack was wild and hurried, and Cala had no problem dodging to the side before slamming her elbow into the girl's face. The blow killed the genin instantly, but Cala watched the body fall as if frozen in time—a lifeless face reflecting a meaningless life.

"_You kill because it is the most permanent solution. There is no return… no lingering threat. You kill because it leaves a lasting impression on anyone who would dare attack you… A ninja kills because it sends a message: …you are not human_."

The final attacker had a shot at Cala's back, a perfect opening for anyone with the speed, skill, or instinct to take advantage of it… unfortunately for the child, he had been shocked by the deaths of his teammates in rapid succession, and it had slowed his reflexes. This gave Cala all the time she needed to whirl around and deflect his attack. A hand with a kunai was stabbing for her heart, but with an effortless grapple Cala knocked the strike aside, throwing the boy off balance and leaving his torso wide open.

"_Anger, fear, trepidation… a ninja has no concept of these ideals. A ninja has no heart…_"

Her hand shot out, latching around the boy's throat. The tips of her iron nails dug into flesh, and little, red dots of blood began welling up from the fresh punctures. The boy dropped his weapon, tears flowing down his face as he wailed some unheard plea. Such words fell upon deaf ears.

"_A ninja does not know mercy… show it once, and it will be your undoing_."

"Please…" the boy cried,"I don't want… to die!" He couldn't be older than thirteen, probably twelve—like so many of these genin… just children.

It didn't matter.

"_A ninja has no weakness… a ninja cannot be undone by such things_…"

Cala's hand tightened and ripped down, tearing the life away from the blubbering adolescent. Before the body could even go limp, her foot lashed out, kicking the boy's corpse into the crowd of genin on the step below. They scattered like ants, several of them yelling shouts of anger and dismay, while others screamed. Again… their words fell upon deaf ears. Cala looked at her hand, watching the slow-trickling, crimson rivulets of blood as they snaked their way down her fingers…

"_The ninja is the perfect weapon… unfeeling, remorseless, and most of all…_"

Taking a single, exaggerated stride forward, Cala dropped down to the last step, which caused all of the genin to scurry backwards away from her. Most of them vacated the step entirely, preferring to join the bulk of the crowd out in the valley floor, but a few of the braver genin—or possibly stupider—stood their ground, their weapons raised defensively as if she would strike any moment.

"_A ninja exploits these weaknesses in others…_"

Her cold, blue eyes surveyed the remaining opponents, gauging their posture and most importantly their expressions. The eyes told everything: what a person was thinking, how they were going to respond, if their intentions were self-preservation or hostility… every intention could be read in an enemy's expression. Cala crossed her arms, watched, and waited. There was only one step left, and then it would be game over.

[…]

Kit stood transfixed. He'd been watching the ghastly scene since it started, and he felt as if the gods must hate him, otherwise how else could you explain the fact that he continued to cross paths with that murderous, psychopathic freak who called herself Cala? The redhead couldn't understand why he had such horrendous luck, but for some reason, he couldn't escape her. Ever since he'd bumped into her, Kit seemed to continue bumping into her.

…and their plan had been so good.

It had actually been perfect. Kit's team had staked out their targets, watching carefully for anyone who was approaching the tower with a complete set of orbs. Simple enough goal: find target, ambush target, take the orbs… finish the exam with one fight. Simple right?

Wrong.

Kit's life was never simple, and this exam was proving to mirror everything else. If something was going to go wrong, if it _could _go wrong, then it did. They'd first run into Cala's team and had to hide for fear of their lives, and Kit had watched the small gothic girl, Eira, as she murdered those genin from Kirigakure.

In an effort to avoid further confrontations with the Shadow genin, Kit and Kira had plotted a course to circumvent any possible run-ins with the deadly trio; however, they had been assuming that Cala would head directly for the tower. No such luck…

Their attempt to be safe had landed them right smack in the middle of another fight, Kit and Sainō had been hard pressed to win, and thankfully Kira had managed to catch one of the enemy genin in her "Mind-swapping Jutsu" to turn the tide of the battle. They'd won, but their opponents didn't have an orb. The battle had been completely _useless_. That alone should have been the worst of their luck, but fate stepped in once again.

Kit's team had come in on the tail end of another fight involving the Shadow genin. Kit was shocked as ever when he saw that the two people fighting were the giant tribal girl and Sasuke! During Sasuke's fight with Mavrí, Kit had seen just how fast Cala could actually move. The black haired girl had managed to not only stop Sasuke's attack from harming Mavrí, but she'd been able to completely nullify it—**and **Cala had gotten away with attacking a jonin, without receiving any penalties.

The entire fight had been as frightening as it was awe inspiring, none of them had ever seen any sort of jutsu like the one that protected Mavrí, something that Sainō kept trying to shout, forgetting to be quiet in his excitement. Thankfully Kit and Kira had managed to keep Sainō from giving away their position. Who knew what might have happened had they been found… Sainō could have gotten them all killed; the boy was completely fascinated with all of the different genin teams and their skills, and he would probably want to talk to them rather than fight. The boy was too kindhearted it.

Despite their setbacks, Kit's team had managed to make it to the tower without any further incidents, and they had also managed to locate a target that would have been perfect for their plan: a first year genin team from Earth village. It should have been an easy strike, but, once again, the gods decided to play a cruel trick on Kit.

Just as they were about to launch their ambush, the Shadow ninjas had appeared under the large, arched entrance to the tower. They slaughtered the genin team from Earth village and proceeded to block the way into the tower for any other teams. Cala was the only one doing the fighting, and each time she won a skirmish she would advance another step.

She was on the last step now. After that, Kit didn't want to let his mind wander to what she might do.

"Kit!"

The redhead turned as someone called his name, and he found himself grasped by a tall form with long, pale blue hair. It took him a moment to realize just who had tackled him into this bear hug. "Geeze! Ame, what's the big deal?" Kit coughed, trying to pry himself out of the vice-grip.

"We saw the bodies from the ledge up there," Fuma motioned, appearing from behind Ame, "We didn't know who they were, but Ame was worried."

"I'm so glad you're alright," Ame smiled wildly, patting Kitaka to make certain he hadn't received any damage.

"I'm fine," Kit scoffed, pulling away. He had to deal with Naruto being worried all the time, which was expected and endearing, but he didn't need another person worrying over him.

"And Jira?" Ame questioned anxiously.

Kira spoke up this time, "We've been here since those genin started… Jira hasn't shown up."

"We haven't seen him at all," Kit said, trying to keep his voice from sounding worried, but he knew his face was just as concerned as Ame's.

"Why is everyone just standing here?" Fuma asked, looking at the crowd as if they were acting ridiculously.

"No one can get by that girl," Sainō pointed to Cala, "She's incredible!"

"She's horrible," Kira snarled, smacking the boy upside the head, "How could you say something like that?"

"But she is, Kira!" Saino protested, "She hasn't even been touched!"

"Is that true?" Ame looked up the stairs, taking in the slew of bodies, "She did all of this?"

Kit nodded solemnly, "And that's not all…"

When Ame cocked his head in confusion, Kit elaborated, "We saw them twice... in the mountains."

Fuma and Ame looked at Kit in shock.

"We didn't fight them!" the petite redhead protested. He didn't want them to think he was suicidal, "But… they killed three other teams that we know about, and…" Kit trailed off at this point and looked at Fuma, not sure whether or not he should say anything else.

Fuma was too observant to let it go, "What else did you see?"

"Sasuke…" Kit muttered.

"Your father was out there?" Ame asked shocked.

"He's not my father!" Kit snapped, a little too hastily but it was too late to take it back. He looked down at the ground and kicked at a rock, "But yeah… he fought them."

"Dad?" Fuma looked a little panicked, "Did he win, is he ok?"

"Of course!" Kitaka snapped, "I mean… he looked fine, but he didn't stop them either."

"If they're killing genin teams for sport," Ame's voice was concerned, "The jonin moderators should have stepped in by now. I'm more concerned about why people keep attacking her. If Cala has already proved her skill level, why don't people try to go around her?"

To this Kit pointed off to the right. There, along the ledges were several black craters, and scattered around those charred holes were half a dozen burnt and scorched corpses. "She fried them," Kit muttered, "The same lightning jutsu that we saw in the alley at Ishitohi."

"They have the same forehead protectors as the woman in the alley too," Fuma added.

"You think the rogue ninja in Ishitohi was actually another ninja from this Shadow Village?" Kira asked, sounding as if she'd come to a brilliant conclusion.

"It isn't unlikely," Ame frowned, "But if that's the case, then Konoha could be in trouble politically if we attacked another village's ninja… even with our mission as an excuse."

"I think we have bigger issues to deal with at the moment," Kira pointed out, literally jabbing a finger at Cala.

"You're all nuts if you think fighting that girl is going to do any good," Gemma said, pushing through some of the genin who were milling about, "Did you see how fast she was?"

"We've seen it dozens of times," Kira rolled her eyes, "And we weren't hiding behind a rock…" she paused and looked off to the right, trying to avoid the gazes of her teammates, "At least not for most of them…"

"Yeah, well… I'm not dying for a stupid test," Gemma crossed his arms.

"Don't you remember what that guy Ibiki said?" Fuma pointed out, "This is the only time we get to take the exam."

"He was joking," Gemma sneered.

"Are you willing to bet your future as a ninja on that," Ame asked. He was smiling, but Kit could tell that the meaning behind that look was anything but happy. It was Ame's "are you really that much of an idiot?" face, and it was never a good sign when he used it. It normally meant you looked like a complete moron.

Gemma grumbled under his breath, but shook his head, "Fine… I get the point, but I'm not just charging in like those other idiots. I like living!"

"We all do," Kira rolled her eyes again; then turned to Ame, "I take it that you have a plan?"

The long haired boy shook his head, "Not yet… but let me watch her for a few minutes…"

Kit had a sense of foreboding at this statement; it crept up the back of his neck like pinpricks from an ice-cold needle. He looked up to where Cala was standing and was frozen to the spot.

She was looking right at him with those emotionless eyes… taciturn and stony. Kitaka felt as if his blood had turned cold, or maybe his heart had stopped from the shock. No, it was beating much too quickly; he could feel it slamming against his ribcage and surely everyone around him could hear it too.

If they could, none of them let on. Kit was locked in this private moment of horrific torment, unable to take his eyes off of Cala.

And then she spoke, "You're looking for these…"

The girl unfastened her sash, holding it up to the crowd to show them the collection of orbs which she had knotted into the fabric. Kit counted eight sets, some of which she had collected from the dead bodies that littered the steps—they still had a sheen of blood on them.

"For the rare teams out there that may have a completed set…" Cala continued, "All you have to do is make it pass me and your exam is complete." She looked behind her at the trail of corpses, "But as you can see that's not so easy."

She took a step forward and laid the sash on the ground, "For those of you who aren't lucky enough to possess a complete set… now's your chance. All you have to do is take them from me and make it into the tower."

Kit turned at the murmur which built up from the crowd at this announcement. The majority of people were calling it impossible, but not as many as those who had been saying it before. People were acting as if they were going to take another chance, or at least wait and see if someone else succeeded.

"She's baiting them," Kira whispered.

Kit looked out of the corner of his eye, sharing a knowing glance with his teammate, and nodded. He didn't want to take his eyes off of Cala, afraid that she might choose any moment to make good on her threat.

"How so?" Gemma sounded doubtful, "They would be stupid to try for it… nothing's changed."

"Not so," Kira explained, "She's put distance between herself and the orbs. She's challenging them to be faster than she is…"

"And then she'll attack," Ame said, summing up what everyone already knew, "Which might just give us an opening."

"What do you mean?" Kit asked.

"I mean that we have a complete set," Ame winked, "We just need to get to the tower."

This was news to Kit, but he hadn't expected any less—it didn't keep him from getting angry either. Of course Fuma would be able to collect a full set of orbs while Kit was struggling yet again. It would take a miracle to complete this exam.

"Fuma, Gemma…" Ame said turning away from Kit, "We need to time this perfectly."

And that was all the time he got. Kit was left to muddle through his impossible dilemma, and he was quite ashamed to admit it… but the though crossed his mind: perhaps Fuma wouldn't be so lucky. Perhaps Cala was good enough to stop them? The thought made him sick to his stomach, and Kit hated himself for even allowing it. Even if something were to happen to Fuma, it wouldn't make anything better. He'd still be stuck without a red or a blue orb… and he'd just have a slew of other problems to face after he failed the exam.

The gods hated him.


	14. Jutsu of the Shadow Witch: No One Passes

**_And here's the second part of the chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Same disclaimer as before._**

**_What you need to know is this: I have a new review incentive. For every five reviews on a chapter, I will pick one of my reviewers and draw them a picture of any character from the story... their choice. They'll get a signed copy of it and they'll get to see it two weeks before any of the other readers. So if there are five reviews = 1 drawing (which will eventually show up in the character sketch album); 10 reviews = 2 drawings... ect. So... REVIEW! Of course I'll still respond to any and all comments or questions. Also, don't forget that TABS got a chapter update this week... go read!_**

**_Review and I'll reply! Much Love!_**

**_~Sarai _**

* * *

_**Naruto: Kurashio**__**  
Chapter 13 – Glass Sheen p. 2**_

_Where does history begin? When does one story stop and another come into existence? _

_It is impossible to completely delegate an occurrence to one specific facet of history, because no matter how heavily it is scrutinized, no matter how it is studied, it is impossible to understand all of the repercussions from a single event. _

_And history? Well… it is made up of thousands of events, all of them interwoven through one another, correlation upon correlation—paralleled by consequence, motive, and justifications. The act of a single individual can affect the thousands…_

_And the act of thousand can have catastrophic significance for the individual._

_History is in a state of continual alteration… every event adds graduations upon the complexities of the past, and it is these events, these ever changing circumstances and their unseen consequences that form heroes, villains, and the stuff legends are made of._

_Sadly, the reality of the world is no where near as grand as fairy tales make it out to be. No, the truth of the world is this: the events of history create men and monsters… and monsters, once created, are very difficult to contain._

[…]

Time was an odd concept. It was measured empirically, but Cala sometimes wondered how something measured by hard numbers could feel so… _varied_.

The seconds ticked by like hours, droning on and on while she had to listen to the incessant whispering and plotting of the inept. It didn't matter to her how it happened, because they were going to fail. Sometimes she wished that she could just hang the rules and slaughter them all. That would be nice… it would be efficient as well.

No dice though, because she not only had the rules of the exam to follow… but she had to play nice with the rules of politics. Slaughtering a crowd of genin wouldn't serve Darunōgakure very well politically… in fact it would probably start a war. Not that it would be a bad thing in Cala's opinion, but if all of the Ninja villages were to attack… Cala wasn't so certain their small village would fair very well, even with their exceptional skill.

…and the Majokage wasn't a woman who enjoyed cleaning up other people's messes. She would probably allow the slate to be wiped clean and start fresh.

Cala wondered if she had ever done that before. Yes, she surmised… the Majokage was pragmatic. She had probably wiped the slate many times. The thought was both troubling and comforting at the same time.

The Majokage did not allow for error. She trained her ninja until they were ready, and then they were put to the test. If you failed the test, you paid with your life. Such was the way of the Shadow Witch: live or die by your own merit. Cala had proven herself time and time again, which is why she had been given this assignment over the other apprentices… although there were some who had disagreed.

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Cala turned her focus back on the task at hand. The genin were beginning to separate, clinging in packs of three… obviously preparing to make a break for it or take their chances, but Cala could tell which ones were going to attack first: There were three genin teams on the step with her. They were close to the sash she had discarded and they probably wanted to take advantage of their proximity.

Cala was right. In an instant, they lunged at her. The teams split into separate groups, three headed for the sash and six headed directly at her—obviously mean to be a distraction. How quaint.

Before they had even closed half of the distance, Cala threw both of her hands up and clasped them together in a jutsu sigil. It almost looked as if she were casting a hex on them… the oddity of the sign stopped them in their tracks, some of them even started backing up—however it was too late. Cala could see the other teams off in the distance begin to abandon their own plans… all except one team from Konohagakure. They were getting closer to the stet, obviously planning something, but she would take them into account.

"Technique of the Shadow Witch," she smirked as her chakra flared, "_Salient Shadow_."

[…]

Kit didn't blink. He watched the step like a hawk, trying to see through the jutsu but he couldn't.

In the blink of an eye, Cala had vanished. There was a rush of wind, and all the genin began to look around frantically. Several cries were emanated from the combatants and from the crowd:

"Where is she?"  
"Get back to back!"  
"Cover yourselves!"  
"Get the hell out of there!"  
"I don't want to die!"  
"Calm down!"

There was a soft "swish" like a rush of air made by a passing blade… it was followed by a series of similar sounds, and as Kit watched he could see the faint blur of black striking through the genin gathered on the steps. The sound picked up in intensity, like a flurry of blades, as the blur turned into solid black lines, much like the after-image left behind by a blade or a substitution jutsu.

…and then Cala appeared dead center amid the group of genin, crouched low with her hands held out wide, like an ominous predator having landed before its kill.

Several things happened at once:

The nine genin who had made an attempt for the orbs all collapsed on the stone floor—dead. The rest of the genin crowd shambled backwards, rushing past Kit and his team… except for Ame, Kit, and Gemma… who lunged at Cala. It looked like a futile attack, and Kit shouted out a warning, but it was too late.

Cala threw up the hand sign and again, vanishing just as Fuma and Ame struck. Their attacks hit nothing but thin air. There was another rush of air, a blur of darkness, and Cala appeared with her back turned to the three Leaf genin, reaching down to pick up her sash as Ame, Gemma, and Fuma fell to the ground.

Kit cried out in horror at the lifeless expression on their faces… and was rewarded a second later with an explosion of smoke.

[…]

Cala knew that sound better than anything: it was the sound of a defeated shadow clone.

Whirling around, she could barely see three figures through the fading smoke as they were dashing up the steps. Gripping the cloth of her sash tightly, Cala cursed herself inwardly. She'd been caught by such a simple ruse… mainly because she hadn't given them enough credit. Obviously these Leaf Village genin weren't as incompetent as the rest, but they were foolish to show their backs to her.

Forming a hand sign with her right hand, Cala threw out her hand and hurled a roaring bolt of white lightning after the fleeing trio of genin. Her aim was true and it headed directly for the tall one with the long hair, but, just as it was about to strike, the boy spun around and deflected it with his sword, knocking the electric energy wide where it exploded into the cliff side.

Rock and debris came crashing down on the steps, blocking her from launching any further retaliation upon the ones her had tricked her. Cala stood there, glaring at the fading dust and smoke which rose from the pile of rubble, and watched several of the smaller rocks as they bounced down the large steps with a "plick"... "plick"... "plick"... until one of them came to rest mere inches from her feet.

Cold blue eyes turned down to regard the small stone, shortly before she brought her foot down atop it, grinding it into a fine powder. She wouldn't allow this to happen again. Cala decided to set things to rites, finishing this pathetic exam and moving on with her assignment. Rounding upon the remaining genin, she saw the small redhead yet again… he'd be a perfect example.

With a smirk, Cala fastened her sash around her waist once more and leapt from the step. She landed several yards away from the boy, impressed that he hadn't turned and fled yet… he was indignant and glared at her with a ferocious intensity. It held his fear and doubt, but it also held resolution—he wasn't running. Something in the gaze caused Cala to genuinely smile. She liked it when they genuinely stood up to her. It made it more fun.

Cala took a step forward, when she was suddenly stopped, a figure appearing directly in her path. It took only a second to identify who it was—the jonin exam proctor with the silver hair, Kakashi Hatake. So one jonin was going to stop her? Cala decided that she would enjoy him as an exercise.

Suddenly twenty other dark fighters dropped out of the sky and encircled her. They were all jonin, and Cala noted that some of them weren't among the faces she remembered from the beginning of the exam… the proctor had brought more moderators with him. This was definitely a more dangerous situation. She was outnumbered, and even with her companions and her techniques, Cala had to wonder if she could take down all twenty of them as well as the proctor. It would be a gamble...

"Now…" the proctor said with a chuckle, but there was a heavy weight to his voice as well, "I don't think these genin were up for a fight, do you?"

Cala had to fight a frown; this was becoming all too much trouble. Forcing a smirk, she nodded in assent, "I suppose you are right… the heat of the battle and all, causes one to think everyone is a potential threat."

The silver haired man nodded, but it was apparent that he wasn't buying her excuse, "Well… I see no reason to prolong this anymore. I suggest that you carry on into the tower, Miss Warukuto."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Cala countered.

"Oh?" the man's only visible eye was not as shocked as his words. He had obviously expected resistance, hence the entourage.

"The rules you clearly set… state that any battle is allowed so long as it has strategic importance to the exam," Cala replied.

"And slaughtering your fellow examinees has strategic value?"

"The choice to engage in combat has been left up to them," Cala shrugged, "I have not initiated any of these encounters. I'm merely _removing_ the competition…" as her voice trailed off, she gestured to the bodies as if they were evidence of some philosophical point. It really didn't matter to her. What mattered was whether or not this jonin was going to try to detain her.

[…]

"I see," the silver haired jonin nodded, turning to look at the rest of the gather genin. He appeared to be counting them and then turned to one of his jonin and whispered a silent exchange. The man nodded and then turned back to the genin crowd. "It seems that all of our remaining teams are gathered in one place…" Kakashi stroked his chin as he decided how to best proceed, "…are there any of you who intend to fight the team from Darunōgakure? Show of hands."

Not a single person raised their hands. Some of them even took a step back to show that they had no intention of even appearing hostile.

"I believe that this exam is over then," Kakashi said with finality, "Miss Warukuto may take her team into the tower to wait for orientation for the final exam. The rest of you… please follow one of the moderators to the exit where you can join your team supervisors."

There were a few groans, but the bulk of the genin group gave a collective sigh of relief, turning and following ten of the moderators who broke off from guarding Cala.

Kakashi turned to the ebony haired girl and smiled, a bit of triumph in his voice, "I believe that settles everything, no?"

"Very well played," Cala nodded. She reached down to her sash and removed a red and blue orb tossing one to Mavrí and the other to Eira, "But I intend to remove all possibility of competition. You may remove the genin now, but if I relinquish the orbs… other teams might appear by the end of the day and that just wouldn't be fair."

"Are you insinuating that I'm not a man of my word?" Kakashi acted hurt.

"Of course not," Cala matched him in his false sincerity, "I only mean to illustrate that ninja are, by definition, cunning and prone to falsehood… I like to cover myself."

"By all means," Kakashi nodded, "What do you have in mind?"

With a swift gesture Cala whipped her sash off, slinging the remaining orbs to the ground. The red and blue spheres shattered into tiny, glittering splinters of glass which showered over the rocky terrain at her feet. In the high noon sun, the tiny, broken filaments seemed to glisten almost as if on fire, and Cala stood at the center of the blazing light with her own triumphant smirk in place.

"I believe that _**that**_ settles everything, no?" she countered.

Kakashi was just about to respond when a voice shouted out from behind Cala.

"Not everything!"

Both Kakashi and Cala turned from one another to look up at the stone steps. There, standing with and orb in each hand, stood Kitaka. He had his own look of triumph about him, as did his teammates who stood beside him. Before either Cala or Kakashi could recover from the shock of seeing the redhead there, Kit and his team were dashing up the stairs and into the tower.

"How…?" Cala looked down at her feet, searching the glass shards, "…how insidious."

Kakashi looked down as well, where he noticed a few, faint lines of sand snaking their way through the glass shards and up the steps. Kakashi couldn't repress the chuckle that came with his sudden realization, "That little brat never raised his hand…"

"He never intended to fight," Cala muttered. Her voice was harsh and bitter as she glared darkly at the steps.

Kakashi nodded, "A good ninja knows when to avoid confrontation…"

"So does a coward…"

"Somehow... I don't think that is the case here," the old jonin chuckled again.

Cala spent a long moment looking at the entrance to the tower before she nodded, "Perhaps not… time will definitely reveal that answer."

"That it will," Kakashi agreed, "Now, if you would be so kind as to take your team into the tower, I think we're ready to begin the final exam."

[…]

Kit entered the large doors of the tower, breathing heavily and followed closely by his teammates. Both Kira and Sainō looked completely out of breath, but, as they looked at one another and realized that they had indeed made it safely to the end, the three of them broke out into cries of relief and refrains of comforting laughter.

"We made it! I can't believe it!" Kira exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Sainō and hugging him so hard that his feet left the floor.

"Hahaha! Ow! Ow! Kira you're crushing me!" Sainō cried.

Suddenly realizing what she was doing, Kira dropped the boy. Sainō landed on his butt, shouting his protests, but Kira's response was to kick him while he was down.

"I can't believe you hugged me!" Kira snarled.

Kit couldn't contain his laughter, leaning against the wall for support as he watched his two companions, all three of them completely unaware that they had an audience.

"Nice to see you made it safe," Ame said, striding elegantly up to the trio quickly followed by Fuma and the other genin from Konoha.

"Dude! Kit! You look like a devil was chasing you," Chino chuckled, "Run into some trouble?"

"That's exactly what it felt like," Kit sighed, trying to shake the image of that vengeful look in Cala's eyes after she'd realized he'd tricked her.

"It's about time the rest of you showed up." All heads turned as Jira walked up, smirking at Ame, "I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

Ame looked as if he were about to make some sort of intelligent retort, but instead shocked everyone gathered—including Jira. The pale boy walked up to Jira and gracefully wrapped his arms around the blonde boy, pulling him into a gentle hug, "I'm just glad your body wasn't on the steps outside… I was worried I wouldn't get to kick your ass for making me freak out."

"Freak out? Body?" Jira looked about in a panic, obviously confused and little uncomfortable… and everyone gathered was getting a nice, silent laugh at his exspense—point to Ame.

"Yeah," Fuma pointed to the doors, "The Shadow Village genin were blocking the entrance."

"That's a nice way to say that they were killing anyone who was trying to completely the exam," Kit said bitterly.

"And taking their orbs," Kira added.

"What?" Jira ducked out of Ame's arms, rushing over to Kit and making a fuss over whether or not he was alright.

"Geeze! Stop! Get off, Jira!" Kit chucked, "I'm fine!" The redhead struggled, escaping his other brother's clutches and glared at him and Ame, "Sheesh, you two are worse than dad!"

"It's just cause we love you so much," Ame said cheerfully, looping an arm around Jira's neck, apparently enjoying how he could make the older Uzumaki blush—another point to Ame.

"He was freaking awesome!" Sainō butted in, "He totally stole these orbs from that scary-awesome chick!" The lithe brunette waved the red and blue spheres at all the onlookers.

Ame looked at Kit with wide eyes, quite impressed, "How did you manage that?"

"Well… it was actually because of Kakashi," Kit said sheepishly, "The moderators stepped in to protect the rest of the genin when you guys made it through. I didn't do much… just, I knew that Cala wasn't going to give up the orbs… and Kakashi wasn't going to let her fight anymore, so I figured she was going to break them."

"And did she?" Jira asked.

"Yep," Kira smirked, "All except these two and another pair she kept for her team." She crossed her arms and looked at Kit proudly, "They didn't even suspect Kit to use his sand."

"I kinda sent it around her feet, just in case," Kit shuffled in place, not really enjoying the sudden attention, "I was able to catch the orbs when she threw them and covered them completely in sand so they were hidden… thanks to Kakashi, she was distracted long enough for me to bring them back, and then we were lucky enough to make it here."

"Well color me impressed!" Jira laughed, "Who would have thought you were so sneaky?"

"You're one to speak," Ame poked the blonde in the side, "How the heck did you finish so quickly?"

"Please!" Jira elbowed the taller boy, "Finding orbs is nothing for me and Hana, right?"

Hana smirked and looked at them cockily, "You bet! We found our set within the first few hours… would have been quicker if a giant cat hadn't thought I looked so lovely and tasty!" She did her best attempt at acting helpless and demure, but no one bought it and everyone laughed.

"It probably thought you were trying to steal its territory, Squirrely," Kira shot back.

"Gaki!" Hana snapped, "At least I killed it!"  
"She did," Chino laughed, "Just before it almost ate her!"  
"Probably knocked it unconscious with that fashion taste of hers," Kira smirked.  
Hana growled, "At least my hair doesn't look like I was struck by lightning!"

"Hey, hey! Come on…" Jira stepped between the two of them, "At least we all made it right?"

Neither of the girls looked like they were willing to stop arguing, both of them lunging for one another. Jira's eyes widened in shock, but thankfully someone pulled him out of the way.

"Seriously, Jira… you're so unobservant some times," Ame chided, "Don't you know better than to get in the middle of a cat fight?"

"I was just trying to help," Jira muttered, crossing his arms as he watched his story friends bicker and try to pull the other's hair out.

"You don't bring help to a cat fight," Ame chuckled, "You bring popcorn. Want some?" The pale boy held out a bag of kettle corn.

Jira eyed the bag with suspicion, "Where the _hell _were you keeping that?"

"Don't ask questions when you know the answers will scare you," Ame winked.

"You always scare me," Jira sighed, taking a handful of popcorn and resigning himself to the role of spectator. The fight didn't last long because the attention of everyone in the room was drawn as the large, golden doors swung open for the third time.

[…]

Their journey up the steps was silent and uneventful. Cala refused to speak to the silver-haired proctor anymore. She found him talkative and annoying; she also had no desire to speak with Mavrí or Eira, though the gothic child was more than happy to speak to no one in particular—so naturally she and the proctor had conversed the entire walk.

Thankfully, Cala had long ago learned to drown people out so she heard none of their conversation.

"She's angry," Eira giggled, "Mistress Cala doesn't like it when her plans go wrong."

"Do they go wrong often?" Kakashi asked with a glint of playfulness in his words, obviously egging the girl on.

"No, not really," Eira was suddenly very serious, "You don't survive long by failing the Majokage."

"Oh…" Kakashi frowned at the dark tone in the girl's voice, "I see."

"Yes," Eira grinned, her eyes quite staid… an even darker glee coated her next words, "There are such intricate punishments for failure."

"Eira!" Mavri cautioned, "Those are things you do not speak of…"

"Stupid, Mavri," the Lolita cursed under her breath, "Always killing the fun… _fun murderer_."

Cala let out a derisive noise, letting them know that she had started listening and wasn't amused with the conversation topic. Fate seemed to be on her side, because they had reached the large archway at this point. Cala walked up to the large, golden doors and pushed them hard. The huge monoliths swung in on their hinges, allowing her passage into the atrium beyond. The entire room went oddly silent and every eye turned to look at them, which caused Cala to smirk victoriously. Apparently those two Konoha teams had been spreading rumors.

A few other genin teams were waiting inside. Cala recognized the redheaded boy in an instant, and also the other Leaf Village team which had caught her off-guard on the steps. She made a mental note to keep a special eye on them for the next exam.

Aside from those two there were six other genin teams: another team from Konohagakure, this one looked to have older genin in it… one boy with long, blonde hair looked particularly capable. The other teams were from Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure.

Cala took a quick look at the other teams and noticed that several genin also stood out. In particular a sandy blond boy from the Suna team who wore a gourd similar to the one patented by the Kazekage, a girl from Iwa had impressive chakra readings even while she was standing completely relaxed, and a tall, tanned boy with black hair from the Lightning team looked particularly fit… the others didn't really register as much of a concern, but those four: the blond from Leaf, the boy from Sand, the kunoichi from Earth, and the tall teen from Lightning… she predicted they actually had the skills to be at this point in the exam.

Perhaps the Majokage would be interested in them.

However, her interests were invested in a completely different entity. Cala took sharp turn, leaving the silver-haired jonin behind, and she walked directly up to the small redhead. Instantly the blonde she had noticed, and the tall boy who had blocked her lightning, stepped up to block her path. Their protective stances were amusing, but she had no intention of fighting in a room full of genin she hadn't observed, "Easy boys... I'm just here to talk."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "To whom?"

"You," Cala pointed a sharp finger at the redhead.

"What business do you have speaking to Kitaka?" the blonde asked.

"Kitaka..." Cala practically whispered the word, "Red fox... how fitting for a cunning creature such as yourself."

The redhead looked at her warily, his eyes were apprehensive which was good. He didn't trust her, and he shoulding

"I am Cala," she said nodding politely, "In the tongue of shadows it means _'beautiful darkness' _...I'll admit that you surprised me out there, midget."

"Hey!" Kit protested, but he was held back by the older blonde.

Cala watched their interaction with interest, they apparently knew one another quite well... they could even be related for all she knew. "Take no offense," she smirked, "I just wanted to let you know that I was impressed..." With that she turned to leave, pausing only to say one more thing, "...and that you've signed your own death warrant by making a fool out of me." Cala didn't waste another second on the Konoha genin, taking Eira and Mavri to a corner at the far end of the atrium.

[…]

Tsunade looked at the gathered genin teams from the balcony. Standing with her were Naruto, Gaara, Ibiki, Sasuke, Shikamaru and a handful of Anbu who were there by her bequest. The Hokage wanted to keep everything in this next exam as civil as possible.

"Eight teams?" Shikamaru asked, "That's quite a few…"

"Same amount as in our year," Naruto grinned, "This is gonna be good!"

"Shh!" Tsunade growled. She wasn't ready for the genin to know they were there.

"It's actually a bad turn out if you think about it," Ibiki whispered, "We had nearly double the entries this year as we had when Uzumaki's group competed… by those numbers we should have twice as many groups in this exam."

"If the display outside is any indication," Tsunade sighed, "The Shadow team is to blame… though I don't know if blame is the proper word."

"They murder a few dozen people," Sasuke growled, "And they just get a pass?"

"Casualties of war," Shikamaru yawned, "It's not pretty… but you can't fault them. Death is a quick solution."

"It's a dirty business," Ibiki agreed.

"Eh… this is boring," Naruto groaned, "I'm starting the exam now."

"Naruto! Don't you—" Tsunade started to yell, but the blonde had already vanished.

"You should know better than to ask him to wait," Gaara chuckled, "He's never been good at that."

"You'd know firsthand, wouldn't you?" Sasuke chuckled.

Gaara's eyes thinned, but then he smirked, "It was always a problem in the bedroom… but, then again, I always attributed it to him just enjoying himself. You don't have the same problem, Uchiha?"

It was Sasuke's turn to glare murderously.

Seeing the potential for something even more lethal to take place around her, Tsunade spoke up, "Well seeing as how the proctor for the next portion of the exams has just vanished… I suggest we get down there to keep this under control, before Uzumaki turns it into a free-for-all."

The gathered ninja nodded, and they all vanished in a cloud of smoke.

[…]

Naruto's entrance couldn't have been better if he'd planned, which he had sort-of. He appeared in a wild roar of laughter and an explosion of smoke, quickly followed by the appearances of the Hokage and the other high-ranked ninja, all who filled out the area behind him… it caused all of the genin to stop mid-conversation and stare in awe—except for the three Shadow Ninja. They just looked slightly less-bored than before… well the little doll-like girl actually giggle like a maniac, so Naruto took it that he had their attention.

"Well, well," the blonde chuckled, "Looks like we have quite a few survivors… you either managed to make it here on your own merits or you got lucky… or your rode in on the backs of your teammates. Well guess what…?" Naruto gave each genin gathered a long look, "Now you have to survive on your own."

"The next exam pits you against your opponents and even your friends," Naruto continued, "No one makes it to Chunin unless they can prove themselves worthy. And what better way to show off than a tournament!" the blond laughed and pumped his fist into the air, "No better way! Believe it!"

He saw Tsunade and Sasuke give him a stern looked and he motioned placatingly, whispering behind his hand, "I swear… just joking… won't happen again."

He motioned to a large black screen which was mounted on the wall over his and the other adult ninja's heads. As he did so the screen lit up with a tournament roster which showed twelve spaces, "As you can see… this is the final tournament roster. It's based up on the participating number of genin."

"There are twenty-four of us," the girl from Iwagakure pointed out.

"Yep," Naruto nodded, "Not everyone makes it to the final tournament. It's only for the best… you'll be competing before rich people, lords, rulers, and the Kages from all the villages and nations who sent in exam participants. You're performing not only for your own benefit but for the benefit of your village… how well you do will affect your future as well as the future of your people."

"What!" Kira shouted, "Why would our exams affect the village?"

"I thought the same thing when I was participating… as did many other genin," Naruto chuckled, "But here's the deal: the ninja villages make money off of missions and people go to the best villages with their problems. How do you know which village is the best?" Naruto watched the genin as they suddenly realized what was going on, "You watch and see which village has the best up-and-coming ninja… you not only get to see who are going to be taking care of the majority of the missions in the future, but you get to see which village has trained the best ninja. Normally good ninja are trained by even better ninja… and that's where people are going to spend their money."

"So we're basically auctioning ourselves off to the highest bidder…" The kunoichi from Earth Village spoke up, obviously not amused.

"Yep… it's how you pay the village back for getting this far," Naruto shrugged, "We've all done it. Now it's your turn."

"So how do you decide which ones are going to compete in the tournament?" Jira asked, smirking up at his dad.

"I don't," Naruto returned the smirk, "You do… you're all going to fight. Right now. Single elimination preliminaries. Twenty-four genin means twelve matches… if you win your match; you're in the tournament."

There was a collective roar of shock and outrage and several looks of pleasure, as if they couldn't have asked for a better solution—among these looks Naruto noticed that the black haired Shadow ninja looked particularly pleased at this announcement, which made the blonde very uneasy. He'd have to keep a close eye on her match.

"Hey! Hey! Be quiet!" Naruto shouted over them, "I don't make the rules… well, actually I do, but I don't make the exam. This is how the final has always worked… and it works for a reason. Yes, you're tired and exhausted and some of you have had to fight more than others, but let me tell you this: these preliminaries will show which ones of you have what it takes to be a ninja and who can pull through no matter what."

"This separates ninja from children playing pretend…" Naruto fixed them all with a serious look, "Every person is faced with a choice in life, that one choice that will define them for the rest of their lives, and until they make that choice… every decision, every action, and every moment leading up to that point is defining what kind of person they are going to be."

"For a ninja… this is your defining moment. Do you stand up and fight for yourself, proving to no one else but your own doubt—that you _**are**_ ninja. If you can't make that decision, then you aren't ready," Naruto pointed to the door, "And that's where you should be headed. There's always the next exam…"

Several genin looked toward the door, and for a moment Naruto was afraid that Kitaka might actually walk. The boy looked at the door with such longing, as if just going over to it would make his entire life easier… but the boy then closed his eyes and turned to face the front of the room. When Kitaka opened his eyes, he looked right at Naruto with a resolve that the blonde knew all too well.

After a few minutes went by and it looked as if no one was going to budge, Naruto nodded, "Alright then… here are the rules."

"Each match is no hold barred. You fight until the other competitor either gives up, is knocked unconscious… or dead," Naruto looked directly at the Shady Trio, "As proctor I will be judging each match and I reserve the right to end any match if I see a disparity in skill level. If you continue to fight after a person had given up, or after I have cancelled a match, the Anbu behind me will detain you and you will be disqualified from the exam. Does everyone understand?"

There were muttered of agreement and all the genin nodded.

"Alright!" Naruto chuckled, "Let's get the preliminaries underway!"

He turned to look at the large screen just as it put up the big "VS" which was framed on top and bottom by a series of cycling, yellow names. The words blurred so quickly that you couldn't even make out a single character in the names that were shuffling by, and Naruto could feel that same rush of excitement he had felt as a genin… that wonder of who was going to have to fight… would you face a friend now—or later? Would you still be in the tournament after the next match, or would you watch a friend be defeated? It was a feeling of helpless urgency…

And it was exhilarating.

The screen came to a halt, suddenly chiming its decision:

"**Cala Warukuto VS. Omoi Terumi"**

**

* * *

**

_**~A/N~**_

**And that's a wrap! It took me forever, but I'm glad with how everything wrapped up. I was happy with the results of the second exam, and hopefully you were all enjoying yourselves just as much while you read it... as I was when I wrote it. I aimed for suspense... hopefully some of you actually thought Kit was in danger, but if you didn't? Let me know. I want any and all opinions on the second exam, the story in general, characters you like or dislike... talk to me people, cause I really do enjoy hearing your thoughts! ;)**

**As this chapter closes, the preliminaries are underway. I'm thinking that I will writing them all at once and then do another two chapter update like this one, so stay tuned! TABS is set to update later this week, and I also have another Studio 69 one-shot coming out for Christmas... I've been busy. Wishing you all happy holidays in case this doesn't update again before they are over. Much love! **

**Please review!**

**_~Sarai_  
**


	15. Prelims Begin! No Rest for the Weary

_**Whew... and I thought the Prelims would be easy!**_

_**I was wrong. Mainly I have a reviewer to thank for that. He brought to my attention that he felt the last three chapters were TOO MUCH just fighting and not enough work on the relationship development. Admittedly he didn't read the middle of the story, just the beginning and end (current stopping point)... so he didn't get a lot of the explanations; however, he did bring to light a problem with my original plan for the prelims. Originally I was going to just write out the fights... cut them in half... and call it a two chapter deal. Well, now I've decided to go a little bit "truer" to the Anime, and I'm using this time to work on some characterization and relationship development. I think this chapter is hilarious and endearing... but I could be wrong. Warning for this chapter include the following: Cala (if you don't like her, well... she's all up in this), Ame... his part is my adorableness so if that bothers you (sorry... well not really), and LANGUAGE. There is more language in this chapter than the rest of the story combined (I do believe). So... it's not bad, but just a fair warning.**_

_**I also started a new Review inscentive: if you review, you get entered in a drawing for a character sketch for this story. Five reviews on this chapter are required for the first drawing, and it increases incrementally. For every five reviews I receive on this chapter, that equals a drawing. So if there are ten reviews I do two drawings, so on and so forth. If you win, you get to pick which character I draw. So... review! Love you all!**_

_**Sarai**_

* * *

_**Naruto: Kurashio**_  
_**Chapter 14 – Alluvial p. 1**_

There was palpable sigh of relief the moment Cala's name appeared on the board, and Kitaka was among them. There was no way he was prepared to fight her, and he doubted half the people here wanted to see if they were. Judging from the way nearly every other genin present had visibly relaxed, Cala had everyone on edge… except for a noticeable few. A girl from Iwagakure was watching the shadow team with calculated interest; she looked almost disappointed that Cala's name had been called already. The large, tanned boy from the Lightning Team also looked disappointed, but he actually pushed off the wall, no longer looking bored. Then there was the boy from Suna, the one whom his dad had trained. He looked from Cala, to the girl she challenging, and then back to Cala with hardly veiled boredom… and then there was Jira.

Jira appeared anything but relieved. His brow was knitted together and his eyes darted about as if he were worried or anxious. Kit couldn't understand what would be making him so nervous, but he didn't get the chance to ask before Naruto spoke again.

"Alright… I guess it's time to get things started," the blond jonin chuckled.

"Where exactly are we expected to fight?" Cala asked suddenly, raising her hand after the fact.

"Right!" Naruto smacked a fist into his other hand, "I should have probably moved everyone into the arena." Kit tried to keep himself from smiling at his careless parent, but it was almost impossible in most cases. Naruto was just too gung-ho, oblivious when distracted.

"Everyone, follow me," Naruto pointed to another pair of large golden doors, identical to the ones they had entered through. Without any effort he swung the doors open, revealing a large sparring area carved into the valley. It was huge, and along the upper levels of the cliff face, several viewing platforms and observation boxes had been carved into the mountain side. The entire facility had been concealed by the tower and the mountain, and if he hadn't made it this far, Kit would have never known it existed.

"Alright… combatants to the arena floor," Naruto directed them to the middle path that led straight down. "The rest of you… find a place to watch while you wait your turn," he then pointed to a left and right path which branched off from the main one. Kit assumed these must lead to the observation areas.

The genin started to separate, some going right while others went left. Kit decided to follow Jira and his team, going right. Off in the distance, he noticed several clouds of smoke off plume into existence which revealed the Hokage, Kakashi and the other Jonin… and his dad! Kit nearly fainted right there when he saw Gaara, but thankfully Kira had noticed and she grabbed him by the arm.

"Geeze, Kit!" she whispered, "Calm down."

"But… my dad…"

"You didn't have a problem with Naruto watching did you?" Kira said, crossing her arms.

"No," Kit said firmly.

"Then Gaara isn't any different," she smacked him upside the head and then continued walking, leaving the redhead to stand there with his own issues.

"He he," Sainō giggled, coming up beside him, "At least she didn't smack me this time!"

Kit rubbed the side of his head, "Yah… I'm real lucky."

"The stinging goes away in a few hours," the brunette smiled reassuringly, "Eventually you build up an immunity! It only lasts a few minutes for me now!"

With a nod, Kit continued walking until he found the place where Jira's team had stopped. Jira, Hana, and Chino were all grouped on the right side of the observation box, which was odd because there was easily enough space for three or four genin teams up her… and that's when he noticed who was standing at the other side of the space. Mavrí was leaning against the earthen wall, and her doll-like companion was perched on the ledge like a laced-clad, carrion bird.

"What are they doing here?" Kit accidentally said aloud.

Mavrí turned and regarded him with deep, maroon eyes, "You're the boy from earlier…"

"Oh, it's the midget!" Eira said hopping up and doing a spin on the ledge to get a better look at him. Kit hoped silently that she would fall. "Too bad you couldn't have fought Cala," the Lolita whined, "That would have been real fun to watch…"

"If any of you touches Kit," Jira warned.

"We do not intend to cause trouble," Mavrí reassured, "I just know that Mistress Cala will want a good view of the remaining matches… this is the best spot."

"And if we're lucky," Eira chimed in, "We might get to catch some of the little bits that go splitter splatter! Ha ha!"

"Sick!" Hana growled, moving as if to engage the small girl, but she was halted by Jira.

"I admit," Mavrí frowned, "Eira's demeanor can be distasteful at times… but it is her more desirable state."

"Compared to what?" Kira raised an eyebrow, looking oddly like her father form a moment.

"To her anger," the tribal girl's tone was ominous. If she meant to explain further, Mavrí gave no indication, merely she turned her attentions to the arena below.

While he had no desire to be anywhere near the Shadow genin, Kit had little choice, and his best bet for surviving any possible encounter with them would be to watch them fight. He'd already seen the three of them in action once, but that wouldn't be enough to save him… this was a rare opportunity to watch Cala without the fear of death if she discovered him.

Kit swallowed his rising fear and walked up to the shelf of rock which provided the necessary safety precautions to keep people from falling out of the box—and which Eira was currently waltzing up and down. He reached the ledge and placed his hands on it, innately aware that he was much closer to Mavrí than he felt comfortable with.

"On the steps…"

It took Kit a moment to realize that it was Mavrí who had spoken, and that she was speaking to him. "What?" he managed to whisper out.

"What you did out there on the steps," she elaborated, "It was… incredibly foolish."

Kit frowned and hung his head, "Yeah, well… she shouldn't have bullied everyone."

"This exam," the girl said sternly, looking as if she were trying very carefully for the right words, "It is not a playground… Cala—Mistress Cala—is not a bully."

"She didn't have to kill anyone!" Kit snapped. He was getting angry for no reason, it wasn't like he could do anything about it, "I'm sorry… but what she did… was wrong."

"Maybe…" Mavrí said thoughtfully, "But you must understand… your training, and ours, is not the same… as is the way of the other villages. The people you will face outside of this village… they are not going to be kind, and you would be unwise to provoke those who are stronger than you."

He wanted to argue with her, but for some reason Mavrí was sounding a little too logical for Kit to be a stubborn as he normally would have, and, for yet another inexplicable reason, she didn't sound so completely insane as he thought all the Shadow genin to be.

"Cala's really strong isn't she," Kit's voice was serious.

"Yes," Mavrí nodded. She looked down to see Kit hanging his head. "But…" she continued, "I haven't seen anyone pull a trick on her like you did… so you must have some talent as well."

Kit cracked a smile, "You know? You're really bad at lying."

Mavrí frowned, "I… don't see much use for it."

"You're a ninja… but you don't like lying?" Kit was shocked.

"I am not a ninja," Mavrí said sharply.

"But…"

"In the Majokage's village my people are labeled such," she continued without letting him interrupt, "But we are not trained as you are trained. We are guardians, protectors… warriors made to do one task for the entirety of our existence."

"What?" Kit asked quietly. He was almost rendered breathless by the intensity and dedication in her voice.

"Her," Mavrí pointed down to Cala, "My existence is to protect her."

Looking down at the arena, it was apparent that the combatants had already arrived. Kit could see Cala standing on one side and her opponent on the other side. Naruto was standing atop a rather large stone podium away from the relative fight area, but Kit knew he could be anywhere in the arena in an instant if it was necessary.

"You may want to get down there to protect here then," Jira spoke up from the other side, "Because Omoi is going to tear your friend a new one."

"You know her?" Kit asked at the same time as several of the other genin.

"Yeah," Jira blushed slightly, "We met on my first mission… and she's, uh… kinda the reason I decided to start using senbon."

"Heh," Hana elbowed Jira in the ribs, "Someone's got a crush."

"More of an admiration of her skills," Jira smirked, easily blocking Hana's elbow.

"It won't even be a match," Mavrí said stonily, "If you have any care for your friend… you'll tell her to withdraw before she gets hurt."

Jira's face tightened with concern, "She's the daughter of the Mizukage… I doubt your teammate will beat her so easily."

"You know very little then," Mavrí regarded Jira with a look of pity before turning her back to him and the others. It was obvious that the conversation had ended.

**[Cala Warukuto VS. Omoi Terumi]**

She was itching for a fight. Cala was still irritated about how the situation on the steps had been handled, how she had been made a fool of… twice.

Things needed to be fixed, rectified. The people observing need to know that she was still something to be feared, that they needed to abandon a sense of hope and come at her only with skill… with the pure, unbridled need to survive. That ferocity, that knowledge of knowing that your life was at stake—was what brought out a person's true potential, showing them if they could stand and fight or if they would roll over and die like the mongrels they appeared to be.

She needed to prove to them that this was their ultimate test; otherwise the Majokage would not get her desired results.

Cala needed to do these things, yet… this was the match they had given her? Out of all the potentials… she had been paired with none of them. It was insulting. Her opponent wasn't in the same league as some of the other genin here. Cala stared at her adversary, taking in her every moment while she waited for the idiotic blonde to call a start to the match.

The girl had auburn hair, tied up in a long ponytail which was kept together with several senbon needles. Aside from these visible weapons, Cala could tell she was well armed. There were dozens of these needles all over her body, and a vast quantity inside of the long sleeves of her half-kimono. The girl also had two kunai holders, one strapped to each thigh, so it was obvious that she specialized in ranged combat and most likely ranged jutsu. Cala instantly knew her attack strategy—this would be over quickly.

The girl across from her looked calm, but under the surface she was nervous. Cala could tell—little things about her posture, the way her eyes would dart up to her teammates, they gave her away. It was a shame that she had such obvious tells. If she were this easy to read before the combat started, she would practically telegraph her every move… how boring.

"Are the combatants ready?" the blond proctor called out.

Cala nodded, and she received a similar nod from her opponent.

"Begin!"

Before the word had even died upon the winds, the girl from the water village released a flurry of senbon needles towards Cala—except she was no longer standing in that spot. She vanished in a blur, and the needles clattered off rock. The girl was obviously surprised at Cala's speed, but she it took no time off her recovery.

More senbon were let loose, but Cala merely dodged again. The third volley followed much closer, but still yielded the same results.

Cala frowned. She had expected more than this… surely the girl could see that this wasn't working?

There was a shrill whistle, and Cala looked up to see a hail of needles raining down upon her from the sky.

How intriguing. The girl must have been controlling them with her chakra, releasing some senbon into the air while at the same time trying to keep Cala occupied with pointless attacks… but this would yield no different outcome.

The needles fell and Cala turned into a spinning blur of dark shapes, like a dancing shadow whipping in and out as the projectiles fell around and away from her but never struck a target. Her footwork was a frenzy of hasty movements, but each dash and every dodge brought her closer and closer to her opponent, and Cala doubted if the girl was even recognizing it.

The auburn haired kunoichi abandoned slow precision and went at Cala with a relentless fervor, firing a stream of projectiles which were obviously meant to drive her back; but Cala merely stepped around each senbon, each kunai, getting closer to the girl with each move. There was panic in the genin's eyes at this point and the girl dashed backwards, flinging a senbon directly for Cala's face.

Cala's head snapped to the side, an effortless dodge. In the fraction of time it took for the thin, metallic needle to pass by her ear, Cala decided to end it… there was no fun to be had with this match—this girl lacked the necessary creativity.

Her hand shot up, and Cala trapped the flying projectile between her fingers, quickly flinging the senbon back at its owner. The thing barb hissed through the air like an angry stinger and embedded itself in the other girl's forehead.

The auburn haired girl dropped to her knees, eyes widened with astonishment as a small trickle of blood worked its way in to the corner of her eye… and then she collapsed to the dirt.

The blonde proctor was by the girl's side in an instant, shouting for the medical ninja waiting on the sidelines, but Cala knew it would be pointless. The girl was dead—sad but true.

This exercise truly had been a waste of time.

"You didn't have to kill her!" the proctor shouted from where he was crouched by the girl.

He knew. Maybe he wasn't so much of an idiot after all? Cala turn her head slightly, barely regarding him at all, "And she didn't have to fight." Cala had nothing more to say on the matter. The water genin's death had been of her own choosing; Cala had merely been the instrument of her destruction.

Not wanting to waste anymore more time, she turned to locate her own companions. Cala spotted them up in one of the observation areas and kicked off from the ground. Her leap carried her through the air in an instant, and she alighted just underneath the overhang, atop the ledge of the viewing box. She looked down with mild surprise to see the redheaded midget. "…Kitaka," she reminded herself.

Cala let out a small smile, but felt no need to say anything. She dropped down into the box and walked to Mavrí's other side, peering down at the commotion it took to remove one pathetic corpse from the arena. These people truly did make such a fuss over death.

"You…." A ragged voice choked through the silence.

Cala turned to see that the long, blonde haired boy was also in the box—how intriguing.

"I'm going to _kill_ you," he seethed, his tone almost feral with its rage.

"I doubt you'll be able to follow through with that threat," Cala said icily, "But we'll see… I'd worry about myself for the time being." She nodded down to the arena, where the large display screen had the next match determined…

**[Jira Uzumaki Vs. ****Kowa Reta]**

Jira was furious. He was depressed… and he was mourning—worst of all he had no time to deal with any of it as he stormed down the path towards the arena floor.

That girl… Cala… the shadow genin… monster.

Did she really feel nothing? Was it so easy for her to kill that she didn't even take pause to consider the life that she'd ended? True, Jira had no place to talk. He'd killed before and he knew he would kill again… he'd kill her without hesitation, but he never made the decision lightly—not if he could help it.

He'd seen horrific scenes in missions, and his team had come across monstrous people who killed for money, power, drugs… but he'd never seen someone who just killed because it was… easy.

Jira could think of no other reason why Cala would make that decision otherwise, and from what he'd heard from Kit… these Shadow genin had killed everyone they came across. Would he have to watch another person he cared about die in this exam? Could it be prevented?

Omoi…

She'd always been kinds to him. Of course they'd only met a few times, but he'd liked her and considered her a friend. The few times his team had to pass through Kirigakure, Jira had stopped by to see her… she'd even given him his first set of senbon needles.

"_Because you liked them…_" she had said, "_I noticed_…"

What was he supposed to do? He really hadn't known her well enough to go making threats of revenge… and from what he had seen, Cala would probably be able to do the exact same thing to him were he to attack her. He couldn't win, not now, and this thought only made him angrier.

Was he just supposed to forget? Was Cala going to get away with all this… murder, just because of an exam?

"_You know you look like a girl right?" Omoi scoffed._  
"_And you act like a boy," Jira frowned._  
"_Ah… well, tabun watashi wa," she whispered and shrugged._  
"_What's that?" Jira growled. He hated it when she spoke their village's language and not the inner-village dialect._  
"_My secret…" she winked_

Jira watched as the image of Omoi vanished from his mind… or from the path… he couldn't quite tell, but he knew one thing—this was driving him crazy. He shook his head, blonde locks flailing wildly as he tried to clear his thoughts. He couldn't go into the match if he was distracted like this.

"Hey…"

Jira heard the soft voice, and he froze. Surely he wasn't hallucinating again so soon?

"Jira!" the voice said more sternly this time, and a pair of hands spun him around till he was face-to -face with a worried looking Ame.

"Oh…" Jira breathed, "It's you."

"Of course it's me," Ame raised an eyebrow. He could tell something was wrong, "Are you alright, Jira?"

"Yes," the blonde snapped, then instantly regretted it, "No… I don't know!"

"Obviously you're not," the taller boy frowned.

"Of course I'm not!" Jira growled, "That… bitch! She just killed Omoi and no one is doing a damn thing bout it!"

"She also killed dozens of other genin in the second exam," Ame said sternly, "Do you think you're the only person confused and hurt because of her actions?"

"Why is no one doing something about it thought?" Jira shouted, grabbing Ame by the front of his kimono, "Tell me that!"

"I don't know!" the other boy snapped back, "I wish I knew! But we all knew the risks when we entered the exam, and I'm fairly certain all the other genin did too, even Omoi!"

"Don't!" Jira snarled, slamming his friend into the rocky wall of the path, "Don't give me the exam as an excuse! That's not good enough!"

"What do you want me to say, Jira?" Ame asked. He looked hurt and sad… but Jira couldn't understand why.

"I want… I want to know… what am I supposed to do?"

Ame looked at him sympathetically, "There's nothing you can do. I know that you and Omoi were friends… and I know what her death means to you, not only as a friend but to your skills as well."

"It's not like that," Jira growled.

"It is!" Ame countered, grabbing Jira's face with a pale hand and forced the blonde to look him in the eye, "Her death means you aren't invincible like you think… that someone out there can make your skills look childish… and you're scared."

Jira clenched his fist, aware in the back of his mind that he was actually about to hit Ame.

"Tell me I'm wrong!" Ame said, not even bothering to resist.

They stay that way, frozen for who knew how long… Jira with his fist pulled back, pinning Ame against the rock with the other. The pale haired boy just stood there, resigned, looking at Jira with hurt, violet eyes. When he actually looked back at Ame, not glaring—not dwelling on what had happened, Jira faltered.

"I…" the blonde let go, loosening his grip; his head fell dejectedly upon Ame's chest, "You're not wrong…"

Ame hugged him, and it wasn't one of his playful, inappropriate hugs which were designed to make Jira feel uncomfortable; in fact it was just the opposite. Jira felt everything just melt away, and in that small moment he felt calm again. He was actually scared to move, afraid that if he did everything might instantly revert back to that frightening scene a moment ago, where he was about to completely snap.

"Oh, god… I almost hit you!" Jira moaned, "I'm sorry…"

"Hush," Ame chuckled, "You hit like a girl anyway."

"I'm going to beat the shit out of you," Jira growled, but speaking into Ame's chest made it muffled, which of course made his voice sound odd, which inevitably lead to Ame laughing at him.

"I've taken worse," the pale haired boy assured him, "Now what about you? Are you ok to go out there?"

Jira thought for a moment and then nodded, "Yeah… I'll be alright."

"Good," Ame smiled, "Cause if you don't hurry you're going to be disqualified and your opponent looks like a pushover."

[…]

Jira dashed out onto the arena floor just as they had started a countdown to his disqualification. He panted slightly, more out of relief, and waved to his dad. Naruto looked just as relieved to see him and gave Jira thumbs up.

"Are the combatants ready?"

Jira took a look at his opponent and saw that Ame hadn't been lying. The guy standing across from him looked like an egg… not an egg head, but an egg. He was oddly shaped, fat but kind of pin-headed… and he was bald, not shaved—bald. He looked like if you were to poke him; then he would roll over and be unable to get up. Jira smirked at the mental image.

"Ready," he called out.

"Heh," the other boy smashed his fists together, "I'ma mop the ground with you pretty boy."

Jira frowned, but readied himself anyways, preparing the Byakugan.

"Begin!"

Jira dashed from his spot and pulled out several crimson senbon as he flew forward, dashing under his larger opponent's guard. He jabbed twice with each hand—left shoulder, right shoulder, spinning around to strike at the right hip and spinning again to strike the left hip, then dashing back several paces before standing upright.

His opponent stood there looking at him with a ferocious grimace, but didn't move. Jira held out a hand and smirked, his eyes glistening with the pale sheen of the Byakugan's all-seeing might.

"Having a little trouble moving?" Jira asked.

"Grr… what did you do to me?" the earth genin growled.

"Pressure spots in the major joints," Jira explained, "You'll be unable to move for several hours. And now…" Jira glanced toward the observation box where his team was and made eye contact with Cala. She was watching him with unwavering attention, and he thought he saw something different in her eyes, like they were almost glowing.

"_Focus_," he told himself. There was a fight to finish. Jira brought up his other hand and formed a ninjutsu sign for wind, which summoned forth a huge, turbulent gust, which ripped across the arena floor, kicking up dust and pebbles as it rocketed towards the his larger opponent. The blast of air knocked the earth genin head-over-heels until he came to a stop, lying flat on his back—paralyzed and knocked down. Match point.

It had been even better than the mental image.

Jira smirked and crossed his arms, looking up at his dad. Naruto was smiling with approval and also a bit of excitement, which mean he probably wanted to see Jira do that move again. His dad was sometimes more of a kid than his students.

"And the match goes to Jira Uzumaki!

[…]

"That was impressive," Mavrí commented.

"Heh! You haven't seen anything," Hana sneered at the taller girl, "Jira's the best genin in this exam… and he's gonna kill all three of your asses back to your little hidden village.

"I doubt so," Cala muttered, more to herself than those gathered around her.

"Didja see it!" Eira chortled, "The boy sticks pointy things into 'em… like voodoo dolls! Maybe he'd like to… play?" She giggled evilly.

"I did see," Cala muttered, "He is… different. He has imagination."

"Who? Jira?" Hana chuckled, "He's about as imaginative as homework… I mean seriously, all he does is practice over-and-over… same thing every day. He never does anything imaginative! Dude's a stick in the mud most days?"

"Loudmouth," Cala snapped, glaring at Hana, "What's your name?"

"Hana, what's it to you?"

"No reason in particular," Cala smirked, "I just look forward to watching you get your ass kicked. You annoy me greatly."

Hana looked down at the board and groaned, "Great…"

**[****Hanawai Hyūga VS. Kōzui Hidari]**

Kōzui Hidari was the best genin that Kirigakure had seen in years, or at least that's what he had heard his teacher telling someone. Once he had heard that praise, it of course went immediately to his head. He'd since then continued proving himself to be the best, challenging all the other genin and winning by any means necessary.

Despite his narciscism and penchant for cheating, Kōzui had indeed learned several effective fightning techniques, even if they were a bit dirty, which is why his classmates had took to calling him "the trickster"…

Whether he was rigging the battlefield to toying with his opponents footing… as a ninja Kōzui could be considered nothing if not effective.

However, ever since he had entered these exams, he'd been seeing genin that—by all rights—outclassed him in every aspect. The trio of Shadow genin for example—Kōzui didn't want to face off against any of them. All he had to do was make it to the tournament and he was bound to become a Chunin.

It wasn't like he could rig the prelim matches as he had the others, so Kōzui had been sweating every since his name came up on the board. His opponent was from the leaf village… all of their genin were supposed to be really tough. He had the most rotten luck—or so he thought. That was until his opponent walked out into the arena.

It was some short, scruffy haired girl… she looked to be about two years younger than him, and she looked nervous too. Kōzui would have giggled at his fortune, but he had a reputation to keep… all he had to do was knock out a little girl and his future was home free.

[…]

Sleezeball…

Slimy, greasy, conniving, disgusting, oily, creepy…

All of these words were which flitted across her mind as Hana looked at her opponent. He was tall, thin, and he wore a standard genin outfit with a leather bomber jacket apparently to make himself look cool. Hana thought he looked like a douche bag with his oily, black hair all slicked back and his pale face. She thought for a second he was wearing eye-liner but it was just the heavy lids of his eyes creating shadows.

The dude was cree-pay!

Hana shuddered; Ying and Yang mimicked the gesture.

"You guys don't like him either?"

Both squirrels shook their heads: "No."

"Me neither," Hana squared her shoulders and walked out onto the arena, "But we gotta do this."

She waved timidly at her uncle Naruto, who gave her a wink, and then she turned to face her creepy opposition. The boy smiled at her, except it looked more like an "I'm going to kill you and rape your corpse" type smile than an actual smile.

"Must be his girl fetching face," Hana muttered, "Think we should knock it off?"

Both squirrels nodded and laughed, which was more of a high pitched chitter, but Hana knew what it was.

"Combatants ready?" Naruto called out.

"Yep," Hana smirked, holding her hands out so that Ying and Yang could crawl into each one respectively.

"Ready and waiting," the guy chuckled popping his knuckles.

"Begin!'

Hana was about to throw Ying and Yang into action when she was suddenly slammed backwards.

The world got really wet, and her clothes were soaked. Hana quickly realized that she wasn't able to breath as she hit the ground with her back. She sputtered, coughing up water and Ying landed besider her looking more like a drowned rat than a squirrel; Yang on the other hand had avoided the attack and was laughing at his brother.

Hana got to her feet and readied herself, looking for her opponent, when something wrapped itself around her foot and whipped her into the air. She went spinning and struggled to right herself in mid-air, so as to land on her feet, but several other things latched onto her other foot and both of her wrists. She was held there, suspended in the air by… water!

The boy was holding up both his hands, smirking, "You got really unlucky to have to fight me. Now that I've got you in my Water Rope Bindings… it's over. Why don't you just give up?"

This arrogant, prick was getting on her nerves, and Hana knew he had the upper hand. In fact, he was so confident that he had the upper hand that the dirt bag looked like he wanted to toy with her. It would be very painful if he did; she also knew nothing about this jutsu… so it wasn't a very good situation to be in.

"_Remember, Hana… those Hyugas have a really bad weakness. You get them at range and their eyes are pretty much useless. That's when you're going to be happy you're an Inuzuka!"_

"_Dad! Get off!" she squealed._

"_Just remember… nothing is more annoying than an Inuzuka's defiance. You got me?"_

Hana smirked, knowing that she probably only had one shot of winning this. "Why don't you eat my shorts?" she shouted, "That looks like it's right up your alley!"

The boy glared at her, a vein popping out in his forehead, "Why you…" He retaliated, blasting her with another stream of water, which sent Hana flying into the area wall.

The impact hurt… it _really_ hurt. Hana felt her should pop, probably dislocated… but if it wasn't, damn did it hurt. She couldn't help crying out in pain. Before she could even get to her feet, Hana felt herself lifted into the air again—apparently the water binding hadn't broken with his other attack.

"Seriously," the sleaze shouted, "I don't enjoy beating up girls…"

"Heh…" Hana coughed, grimacing in pain, "That's probably what you do for fun. You look like a pussy."

Her dad had taught her that word... and this fighting tactic. Insult your opponent; they get angry; then you attack. As the next jet of water slammed her to the ground, Hana figured it had to start working pretty soon… otherwise she might not make it through the next attack conscious.

"What kind of girl are you!" the boy shouted, "Who talks like that?"

"Obviously you're a mama's boy," Hana chuckled, spitting out blood, "Cause if pussy offends you… then your really aren't going to like it when I call you a limp-dick, mother fuc—"

She was interrupted by another blast of water, but this wasn't as accurate as the others. It hit her shoulder, knocking her to the ground, but she was able to gain her footing. Ying and Yang both rushed to touch her hands and before the creep could put his jutsu on her again… Hana pulled off one of her own, "_Animal Mimicry – Triple Souls_!"

A great cloud of pale, black and white smoke engulfed her, hiding her from view. It would only last for a few seconds, but it would be enough to pull off a trick of her own. Looking to her left and right, Hana saw two exact copies of herself, both Ying and Yang winked at her. Seriously, Hana was shocked every time she did this, because the only way to tell them apart was their eye lashes. Ying had white eyelashes, Yang had black… opposite of their fur color, and of course Hana's were brown, but from a distance you couldn't even see it. Up close it was hard to determine—and if Hana got in close, well… she had the Gentle Fist.

It would be over.

She high-fived her doppelgangers and the three of them exploded out of the smoke cloud, landing around their creeper enemy. He looked at the three of them in confusion, as if unable to know which one to attack.

"Clones?"

"Ha ha ha," the trio said in unison, Hana's voice mimicked in two different tones, "Nope… you ready to become a girl?"

She dropped into a familiar kata, "Gentle Fist technique: Triple Nutcracker!"

Hana dashed forward, slamming a kick to the boy's groin and using the full force of that kick to backflip over Ying and Yang as they dashed in—both of them slamming their fists into the exact… same… spot. The jumped backwards, looking very much like squirrels as they landed on Hana's left and right, hanging on her shoulders with their hands and striking the cutest pose they could muster.

The boy's eyes were bugged out, and he was holding his crotch as if it would make it feel better. Not a chance… he'd be a girl for several hours—or his whole life if the gentle fist castrated him, which Hana really hoped for.

The genin boy let out a small, weak: "Ooh… mommy…" and then fell backwards.

Hana smiled, pleased with herself at her victory… despite the soreness in her shoulder, back, and ribs. She probably looked like a mess, but the cheering from her section up in the observation box, and she thought she heard Ame and Gemma as well… that was enough to make her fight through the pain without whining. Now if she could only jump up to their box like Cala had—she'd be set.

[…]

Sadly she couldn't jump three feet, much less all the way up to their box, so Hana was forced to trek all the way back up the path. When she finally made it back to their spot, she was nearly crushed by hugs from Jira and the other.

"Ow, ow! Watch the ribs… and the arm," Hana groaned, "Crap! Just don't touch me. Everything hurts!"

"You were awesome down there!" Kit beamed, "We were real worried for a minute."

"Worried?" Hana asked, "About me? Don't be stupid."

"No…" Cala muttered, "They can leave that job to you."

"Listen bitch!" Hana growled, "If you don't want me to beat the hell out of you, then shut your face."

"You wouldn't stand a chance girl," Cala yawned, "You're nowhere near a match for Mavrí, and you'd have to go through her to get to me…"

"If I proved anything down there, it's that you arrogance assholes should be a little more cautious!"

"The only thing you proved," Cala snipped coldly, "Is that you know how to take advantage of an idiot… or that your annoyance can make anyone suffer brain damage. I haven't decided which."

"Why you!" Hana staggered forward, but had to be caught by Jira and Kit.

"Just… why don't you have a seat, Hana?" Jira said carefully, not wanting to direct Hana's wrath upon himself, "You'll need your full strength to kick her ass you know?"

"Hmph," Hana crossed her arms and allowed them to carry her over to the corner to sit down, "Fine! They saved your life, bitch!"

"I'm sure…" Cala turned her back and looked toward the tournament board.

"I can't see," Hana griped, "Who's up next?"

The room was quiet, until finally Saino spoke, "…me."

Seeing the fear upon the boy's face, she pulled herself up to her feet to see why everyone was so gloomy. What she saw wasn't good. The large, intimidating boy from the Lightning genin team was walking from the other side of the observation decks, down to the arena. He was easily twice Saino's size and probably an inch taller than Mavrí, he was ripped with lean muscle, gorgeous as hell… and he had two large swords strapped to his back. All this… against poor, nymph-like Saino.

The boy was screwed.

Hana read the match aloud, as if someone might tell her she was reading it wrong…

**Banme Denki VS. Saino Kokoko**

**

* * *

**

**~A/N~**

**Some notes about guest character names (and by guest characters I mean the genin I created to pad this exam):**

**- Omoi Terumi is the child of Mei Terumi, the Mizukage. Her name came about when I was playing with words that mean Heavy Rain (nothing to do with the video game of the same name). Her name actually means "heavy" in japanese. She's not fat, but I just thought it was an interesting and beautiful word. Her full name is actually Omio ****Gōu Terumi, which means Heavy Downpour. As for the japanese she whispers in his flash back... well, bonus entry into the drawn for anyone who can comment correctly on what it means.  
**

**-**** Kowa Reta means "broken" and it's actually the kanji cut in half to make his name as the full kanji reads "kowareta". Pretty nifty huh? Broken=broken word. Not only that but he looks like an egg. Humpty dumpty anyone? ;) I'm such a smart cookie.  
**

**- Kōzui Hidari - his name actually means "Left Flood" which is convoluted, but basically is means a flood of things coming out of left field, or at least it does in my mind. Take it as you will.  
**


End file.
